Systems Integration Asia June-July 2014

Vol. 13 Issue 5 ~ June - July 2014

AUDIO • VISUAL • LIGHT • CONTROL SYSTEMS MCI (P) 035/04/2014 PPS 1669/08/2013 (022992)

Christie delivers realistic aviation experience at Republic Poly

• Boardroom AV Setup Considerations

• InfoComm China Review

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CONTENTS

Vol. 13 Issue 5 ~ June – July 2014

84 72 90 04 FIRST WORDS 06 NEWS 19 SOLUTIONS UPDATE 34 TECH FOCUS TECH TALK 36 Digital Cooking: Live (á la minute) or Ready-made?

FEATURE 40 Making meetings more productive through Collaboration Tools 44 Issues to consider for a Boardroom AV Setup EXHIBITION REVIEW 46 InfoComm China 2014

INDIA & MIDDLE EAST COLUMN 58 News Installations 64 Weaving AV collaboration into Space Research 70 IOCL Guwahati Refinery makes an AV refinement 72 TATA Sky channelizes through new video wall Interview 74 Konftel: Crafting a new conferencing niche FROM THE OTHER SIDE 78 Srikanth Katuri of Quintiles Bangalore on Right Sizing the Solution

INSTALLATIONS 80 Christie projectors at the new Virtual Aerodrome Lab in Republic Poly 84 Prysm and Jupiter at the Jiangsu Electric Power new control room facility 86 AVIT pushes the limits at the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine 88 Crestron Home Automation makes an impression at the Carré d'Art luxury home development VOICE BOX 90 Jack Kline of Christie Digital on his vision for the company 93 Hitachi's Takeshi Haruki on the company's initiatives 96 AQAV: Ensuring Quality in AV Installations

04

FIRST WORDS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

INDIA AND MIDDLE EAST EDITOR Ram Bhavanashi ram@spinworkz.com

WRITER Elissa Nadine elissa@spinworkz.com

DIGITAL PLATFORM WRITER Rosalind Tan rosalind@spinworkz.com

ADMIN & CIRCULATION Julie Tan admin@spinworkz.com

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Jimmy Chin jimmy@spinworkz.com

MEDIA REP IN NORTH AMERICA Broadcast Media International Michael J. Mitchell Tel: +1 631 673 0072 mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv

PRINTED BY PUBLISHED BY Stamford Press Pte Ltd Spinworkz Pte Ltd 51 Bukit Batok Crescent #06-10 Unity Centre, Singapore 658077 Tel: (65) 6316 2716 Fax: (65) 63162715 www.spinworkz.com Disclaimer Systems Integration Asia is published 6 times a year. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine is to be reproduced, whether mechanical or electronic without the prior written consent of the publisher. Views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the publisher. Unsolicited contributions are welcome but the editor reserves the discretion to use them. Whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy and honesty in both editorial and advertising content at press time, the publisher will not be liable for any inaccuracies.

Is it my imagination or have you noticed the big AV boys slowly creeping into offering full-fledge audio solutions?

Crestron and Extron have had for some time audio from pointsource to ceiling speakers in their inventory. At ISE this year, Kramer showcased their full range of audio solutions. And the most recent entrant is Christie Digital who have decided to complement their high-end cinema digital projectors with their own audio system – Christie Vive, which includes ceiling surrounds, wall surrounds, screen channel speakers, subwoofers, and Class D amplifiers. From my understanding, this range could be extended in the near future. So with the AV players getting into creating their own audio solutions, will this affect the traditional audio players' business? I am sure to a certain extent it will, as now the aforementioned companies can provide a total solution for some types of projects without needing to reply on third party audio solutions. Only time will tell if this will cause a major impact on the traditional audio manufacturers.

Asia Pacific, according to preliminary results from new findings in InfoComm's recently concluded 2014 AV market Definition and Strategy Survey has now overtaken North America as the largest AV market in the world, with China on top of the Asia Pacific stakes, and set to widen its lead over the other sub-regions. I am sure many of us are not surprised with the findings. There are still many countries in the Asia Pacific region who are still in the development stage and these can only augur well for the AV industry. One country which showed much promise but has not fully shown its potential is India.

However, with the recent election results, where there is now a dominant party in Parliament, a few of the industry players I spoke to, feel that things might get much better for the AV industry. The stumbling block previously has been the fact that there was no single dominant party but this has changed now and so for all intents and purposes, policies and development plans should move smoothly. Again only time will tell but there is without any doubt an air of optimism. But if we were looking for any positive indication, the fact that the winning party championed the use of AV in its campaign – through the use of Christie projectors to create a holographic image – to reach out to voters in cities where the new Ruling party's Prime Minister designate could not be present, should give us all hope. You can read all about that in our IME News column.

InfoComm International will be upon us soon and this year will be special as the association celebrates its 75th year. Beyond the show floor, this year InfoComm will feature a Solutions Summit that begins pre-show and offers related sessions available throughout the week. We are sure it will be an exciting exhibition and we look forward to visiting it. See you there:) Thomas Richard Prakasam Publisher/Editorial Director

thomas@spinworkz.com

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NEWS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

ihD celebrates its 10th anniversary

HONG KONG: ihD | Global Technology Consultant, headquartered out of Hong Kong, celebrated it's first ten years of operation recently with a grand event held in Kowloon Hyatt Regency Hotel Ballroom. With more than two hundred guests representing ihD's Clients, Operators, Architects, fellow Consultants, and Systems Integrators, the event was a great success. Louis Chan and Suki So who masterminded not only the dinner but also the Chinese Lion Dance and Face Changer acts, commented on the unusual camaraderie experienced amongst this diverse mix of people from the industry, for many of whom this was the first such gathering in the history of Hong Kong. ihD started life in Hong Kong on 23rd September 2003, as an Audio-Visual Consultancy, with just two Consultants Ian D.Harris and Franklin Choi. "ihD" is actually formed from the initial letters of Ian Harris Design, but has always been incorporated simply as "ihD" outside of China, and "北 京 夏 德 勤 咨 询 顾 问 有 限 公 司" within China.

With the joining of Adrian Lim and Patrick Shek, ihD grew and evolved, until ten years later it has operational offices, actively designing out of Beijing, Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Mumbai and Shanghai. Hong Kong

leads the Group, with the Research and Development centred there, as well as running projects across the APAC region.

Shangri-La Istanbul and Four Seasons Kyoto represent the more Westerly- and Easterly of its projects.

As well as Geographical growth, ihD has also matured in its core Disciplines, by now expert and experienced in ELV, IT/PABX, Security, Audio-Visual and Architectural & Mechanical Acoustics.

"We have been very strict in offering Consultancy services only, and never supply or installation", said founder Ian D.Harris, "which means that we are customer needs-centric and not product-centric, nor are we ever in the position of competing with the Systems Integrators/Contractors; this allows us to design the best systems for our clients, to suit their needs and budget, and to get them built to the highest standards.

On the practical side, as well as making build-able designs, we are pro-active in site-checking and the Testing & Commissioning work. We also carry out trouble-shooting of existing installations

for our clients - very often we are able to rescue these systems at minimal cost through on-site adjustments".

Asked if it's true that ihD only designs Hotels - for which they have a high reputation - Ian advised that "Actually, ihD has a well-established reputation in the iBanking arena, which is usually subject to Non-Disclosure agreements, as well as are experienced in Mall, Mixed-Use Development and Education.

Our clients have been surprised at the level of detail in our design, that there's no need to rely on the Contractors to fill in the gaps. We aim at very thorough understanding and training by our Team Members; a case in point is our recent IED (Improvised Explosive Device) training by the military, as CounterTerrorism is especially a part of our Security service in the high-risk countries of Asia, and we need to stay on top of current methods employed."

Ian concludes, “I'd like to thank all of my 55+ Team, but also the Operators and Clients for their trust in us, and the many Contractors for their great work in building our designs. And I want to acknowledge our families for their amazing patience and support. Together we are making Asia great!!” www.ihd-hk.com

Includes control software for Mac and PC plus Photoshop plug ins for direct graphic downloads.

Connect professional SDI or consumer HDMI cameras in SD, HD or Ultra HD! Imagine your event in full Ultra HD!

Rack mount design lets you install into road cases for portability.

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HDMI input lets you plug in video cameras or even computers for slide shows!

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Audio inputs connect direct into the built in audio mixer for professional and consumer HiFi audio sources.

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Live Creative Power ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K is a true professional M/E style switcher, perfect for live music, sporting events, theatre productions, program production, conferences and more! You get the most creative solution for live switching with cut, mix, wipe, dip and more! You can even load graphics directly from Adobe Photoshop into the 2 built in media players for live keying!

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NEWS SSystems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Biamp Systems expands Matthew Packer's role ASIA: Biamp Systems, a leading provider of innovative, networked media systems, has announced the expanded role of Matthew Packer, effective immediately. Packer, who was promoted to Regional Director, Asia-Pacific, less than 18 months ago, now adds the recently expanded India territory to his responsibilities.

“Matthew has demonstrated steadfast leadership during this period of extraordinary growth for Biamp,” said Ron Camden, Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Biamp Systems. “He has built a strong, skilful team that applies a customer-first philosophy and

a dedication to quality, which allows us to expand the availability of our awardwinning commercial audio solutions. As we continue to deepen our relationships throughout this part of the world, his vision and outstanding team will be key for sustaining our success.”

In his new post, Packer will direct Biamp sales operations throughout Asia-Pacific overseeing both the Asia sales team and the recently expanded India sales team.

Packer is based in Hong Kong and will continue to report to Camden. www.biamp.com

AVer EVC130 video conferencing system wins Taiwan Excellence Silver Award TAIWAN: AVer (TWSE: 3669), a global provider of education and business solutions, has announced that the EVC130 HD video conferencing system has been awarded the coveted Taiwan Excellence Silver Award.

AVer’s President Andy Hsi said: ‘AVer is always delighted to be recognized for such a prestigious award. We are grateful to the judges for recognizing the value and benefits the EVC130 can offer a wide range of business users.’ The EVC130 was one of only 30 successful entries from 1281 entrants to be considered for the Taiwan Excellence

Gold & Silver standard. The EVC was deemed to embody ‘innovalue’ a combination of innovation and value in the fields of research and development, design, quality and marketing. AVer always places great value on ID, and the compact size combined with its exciting features is a key reason the EVC130 was chosen for this great award.

It comes equipped with full HD1080p 30fps people video resolution and HD720p 30fps content sharing resolution guaranteeing EVC130 users experience natural, real-time video communication.

The unmatched wide-angle capabilities

of the HD fixed focus PT camera makes fitting everyone comfortably into the shot a problem of the past. The microphone array combines proprietary technology, ingenious hardware design and sophisticated audio processing to produce clear, true-to-life sound.

In addition, a variety of value-added features and exclusive tools, such as AVer’s one-touch recording, which allows users to record everything on the screen directly to any flash drive. www.aver.com

Chief updates Design Center Resource INTERNATIONAL: Chief has updated its online Design Center to provide AV consultants, architects and designers with a library of downloadable information to make specificying AV mounts easier.

Specifiers can find Revist files, CAD, tech drawings, manuals and literature for 24 of Chief's mot popular products. The site also lists certification information for the solutions.

Chief's downloadable documentation also can be found on Autodesk SEEK. Chief strives to be a resource for AV information. As part of that goal, Chief has created a free binder for architects, designers and consultants. The binders are filled with information on all Chief's AV solutions along with a selection guide to provide Chief's top recommendations based on typology. Binders can be requested by emailing asia.chief@ milestone.com.

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10

NEWS SSystems Integration Asia June - July 2014

AOTO's new solutions make an impact basketball arena, ice hockey stadium, tennis court and so on.

CHINA: AOTO's 8K 24bit LED Control System has the largest loading capacity, and highest colour processing depth in the world according to the company.

The super large 8K loading capacity, 24bit colour processing depth and super grey scale processing capability, helps realise better colour reproduction of content.

The product is suitable for super high resolution LED display providing an ideal solution for high-end digital media, TV studios, airports, railway stations control centers, etc.

It can also simulate all kinds of sports stadium application environment, providing real - time monitor of display content and operation status of every LED display, and realize centralize edit and management of multiple terminal devices.

Besides, it can automatically adjust every pixel on the LED display according to the environment brightness, making sure that audiences can have more comfortable visual effect at different locations and angles in stadium.

AOTO's P1.0mm indoor LED display is the highest resolution LED display in the world according to the company, with technical advantages of high contrast ratio, high refresh rate, and smooth &

AOTO Great Eagle LED “Cloud” Control Platform is a software specially designed for high-end sports LED displays. It can accomplish integrated control and monitoring of LED displays in professional stadiums like Soccer stadium, American football arena,

natural image restoration at grey scale, conquering technical difficulties of super high - resolution LED display.

The product is ideal for high-end digital media, bank lobby, TV studio, retail stores, control centers, exhibitions, etc.

The P3.0mm outdoor LED display, according to the company is the highest resolution outdoor product in the world, with IP65 ingress protection, 6,000nits brightness, fanless design, low power consumption and so on, the product is suitable for all – weather environment application.

AOTO P3.0mm outdoor LED display is ideal for outdoor super high resolution digital display application such as bus shelter, railway stations, city center and theme parks amongst others.

AOTO Glass - free 3D LED TV adopts multi - viewpoints switch technology, enabling audiences to watch 3D video without 3D glass. The image is smoother and more comfortable to see. It also adopts high-precision optical grating technology, greatly reducing brightness loss. The product is fit for high-end advertising display in theme parks, cinemas, large commercial mall, airports and so on. www.szaoto.com

Hewshott International opens office in Melbourne

AUSTRALIA: Hewshott International's continued growth has led to the opening of their latest office in Melbourne, Australia.

This office complements the presence the company already has in Australia through its existing office in Perth, from where Hewshott has already undertaken a number of major projects on Australia’s east coast. The Melbourne office opens in direct response to the requirements of their existing global clients and will assist the company in managing ongoing projects in Queensland and New South Wales.

Hewshott’s Associate Director in Singapore, Adam Crookes, returns to Melbourne to take up the role, which covers the entire eastern states of Australia, and New Zealand. He will be joined by Xavier Sanchez-Roemmele, Associate Director of Acoustics, to provide a comprehensive service offering in both AV/IT technologies and acoustics.

Adam comments: ‘I’m delighted that the Board has asked me to launch a permanent presence in Melbourne and build on Hewshott’s unique brand, which I firmly believe is unmatched in the industry. I’m confident that our pedigree, capabilities and unwavering commitment

to full independence, which has been a cornerstone of the success of all Hewshott offices, will continue to set us apart in the region.’

The company's Group CEO, Peter Hunt adds: ‘Adam and Xavier are two extraordinary members of our team with excellent track records, and a permanent presence in Melbourne fulfils one of our strategic plans. I have great confidence in both of them and am certain that we will soon have two very busy offices in Australia.’ www.hewshott.com

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12

NEWS SSystems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Exterity partners with Asiavoila to distribute its Enterprise IPTV product

Andrew Armstrong heads Exterity's Asia Pacific office in Hong Kong

HONG KONG: Exterity, a leading provider of enterprise IPTV technologies for the secure distribution of live, ondemand and recorded video over IP, has announced that AsiaVoila is to distribute its fully secure end-to-end Enterprise IPTV product portfolio in South East Asia. AsiaVoila will provide Exterity with in-depth knowledge of the region, enabling organizations in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia

to adopt robust and flexible enterprise IPTV systems.

content protection requirements of the content industry.

Exterity systems are already used by many organizations in a wide variety of markets across the globe; Exterity will leverage AsiaVoila’s regional expertise in order to increase its presence in the region, and has also opened a new office in Hong Kong, allowing the company to establish a broader scope in the area.

“South East Asia is a fast-paced region with a bustling enterprise IPTV market,” said Colin Farquhar, CEO, Exterity. “The potential in the Asian markets require businesses have a local presence as well as a partnership with a local distributor.

This led us to join forces with AsiaVoila and leverage their particular skill set and deep-rooted regional expertise. We have complemented this partnership by opening a new office in one of the main hubs in the region and are sure that this new collaboration will enable us to forge a closer bond with our customers in APAC.”

As the only vendor offering a fully HDCPv2 compliant video over IP product portfolio, Exterity provides system integrators, pro-AV installers and consultants designing and specifying networked video solutions, with the peace of mind that their end users are adhering to the anti-piracy and digital

www.exterity.com

Gefen's refreshed identity reflects a new and strengthened business strategy INTERNATIONAL: Gefen, the digital connectivity solutions company of Nortek Inc. (NASDAQ: NTK) re-launched its business with a strengthened and revitalized business strategy. Gefen’s transformative evolution includes an enhanced product development process refocusing its leading edge roadmap, and a new go-to-market program supporting consistent, profitable business delivery to its partner base.

This re-launch of the Gefen business is reflected in a new, bold brand and identity refresh indicating a stronger alignment across Nortek’s Technology Solution Group (TSG) brands, offering partners and customers a total solution of connectivity, with the widest breadth of audio and video solution offerings.

The new and completely restructured product development process utilizes

a methodology of evaluation and rationalization which determines product market suitability. Leveraging Gefen’s heritage of innovation, this new process translates into a long-term roadmap providing customers with timely and intuitive connectivity solutions that bridge the gap between rapidly advancing technology and real-world applications.

Gefen is also implementing a new, bestin-class go-to-market program, which directly addresses the main concerns of resellers around the world. A new rolled out Universal Pricing Policy will enable channel partners and resellers to significantly benefit from doing business with Gefen.

“It all comes down to implementing criteria-driven programs that ultimately allow everyone to achieve greater profitability,” said Kevin Weiss, Gefen’s VP of Global Sales and Business Development. “We’re all in this together,

and we all plan on being very, very successful in 2014 and beyond.”

Gefen’s new logo, featuring fiery bold colours was selected to more clearly reflect the direction in which Gefen is heading and is just one example of updated branding and total solution deliverables.

“It’s no coincidence that we selected bold colours, mirrored across our sister companies,” explained Tony Dowzall, VP Marketing, Gefen. “When you partner with Gefen, you are at the gateway to a wide portfolio of solution offerings from other leading Nortek TSG brands such as TVOne, Magenta, Niles, Panamax and Furman.”

Gefen’s new logo and colours will be implemented in phases beginning with its website, collaterals and new products coming to market. www.gefen.com

14

NEWS SSystems Integration Asia June - July 2014

CommBox Korea appoints Jevis Connect for Hong Kong and Macau HONG KONG: CommBox Technology has appointed Jevis Connect as its official distributor of Interactive Education Solution in the Hong Kong and Macau market. Starting 15 May, the partnership will allow resellers and system integrators easier access to CommBox products and support services.

Since its founding in 1995, CommBox Technology has developed stateof-the-art solutions for multimedia education, e-learning, and u-learning classrooms. CommBox also specialises

in manufacturing, consulting, IT business overseas, video and audio systems, equipment sales, network construction, software development and sales, and has contributed to the information and communication field as a leader.

In addition, CommBox Technology has been providing an integrated solution, which was standardized domestically as well as in 26 other countries.

As a Total Solution Provider, providing varied solutions to all their customers' needs, CommBox Technology will

endeavour to be a Pioneer in the education and meeting segments.

Jevis Connect will be supporting the market by setting up demonstration systems and supporting services in the region. With this appointment, Jevis Connect launched a special promotion for the 84" UD Interactive Board solution for the dealers in Education and Commercial conference sectors. www.jevis-connect.com www.commbox.co.kr

QUICK TAKE

Ronni Guggenheim, CEO, Barix AG more effectively to campuses and hospitals, and in the longer term expand its presence in the security market.

Ronni Guggenheim took over the reins of Barix as its CEO in October 2013. Barix is an IP audio and control specialist and Ronni plans to increase the company's market share by building a broader ecosystem with a stronger software focus.

Terming it Barix 2.0, Ronni says that this is a big new initiative to bring the company to the next level in terms of branding, market share and solutions.

According to Ronni, the vision for Barix is to continue to strengthen its leading position in the paging and intercom segments for transport, hospitality and Houses of Worship; bring new solutions to the retail segment; target its solutions

Barix will be putting much emphasis on the retail segment targeting digital signage and in-store radio solutions offered by the company. “We are merging these two areas with a webbased platform. By working on an open API we can integrate with any system.”

To do this Barix will move from being a device-centric company to a solutionscentric company. For example, the company’s new in-store radio platform, SoundScape, incorporates networkwide monitoring and management capabilities, including ad insertion, audio player configuration and software updates.

“To bring our expertise to the next level, our approach will be solutions based.

Our core technologies will be browser based solutions inclusive of BYOD apps.”

This was clearly demonstrated at ISE, where Barix showcased an audio signage solution featuring a mobile app that gave “Screens a Voice”.

The unique solution aims to give the screen a voice, engaging consumers at shopping windows and inside stores

through visual content and associated audio streams. A free Barix smartphone app called Barix Audio Point, to be available in traditional App Stores, prompts consumers to scan a QR Code for stream access, which provides relevant and captivating audio content in synchronization with on-screen video. The combination brings higher awareness to promotions, store branding and other messaging through deeper engagement with shoppers – and addresses the retailer’s goal of increasing basket size.

Ronni was pleased to share with SI Asia, that the company has seen double digit growth across the world with 60% of business being accounted for in Europe, 30% in USA and 10% in Asia. The company currently has its own offices in USA, Italy, Germany and Switzerland.

As for Asia, Ronni highlights that the most challenging market has been China.

Nevertheless Barix will continue to build channels and strategic partnerships in the Asia Pacific and in the long term hopes that Barix will have its own office presence in the region. www.barix.com

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NEWS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Epson showcases Instant Interactivity in the classroom at iCTLCT 2014

Pictures courtesy of iCTLT

SINGAPORE: Epson, the world leader in digital imaging and printing solutions, gave local and international educators a first-hand experience of the future of interactive technology in the classroom.

From showcasing cutting-edge technology including the world’s first 3LCD touch-enabled interactive projector to expert demonstrations of potential educational applications, Epson’s participation was met with enthusiasm and interest by delegates in the International Conference for Teaching and Learning with Technology (iCTLT) 2014 from 7 to 10 April.

Understanding the various needs and challenges of the modern day classroom, Epson showcased an extensive integration of digital imaging solutions to help educators bring knowledge to life.

Educators were eager to try out the star attraction – Epson’s EB-595Wi, the World’s First 3LCD Hand Touch Enabled Interactive Projector. Epson’s product specialists were on-hand to demonstrate how the entire classroom can be engaged with an immersive learning experience.

The interactive projector transforms any hard surface in the classroom instantly into an interactive whiteboard.

Educators can draw, annotate and interact with the material they present with a pen and their fingers, instantly customizing lessons prepared on their computers or on their mobile devices.

With 3,300 lumens of colour & white light output brightness, kinesthetic learning can be taken to new heights

with Epson’s EB-595Wi. The WXGA projector is compatible with top curriculum software and can display images up to 100" from just 12" away, with its 3LCD technology ensuring bright and vivid lessons.

The EB-595Wi’s potential and versatility was showcased in iCTLT 2014’s Magic Corridor as well, one of the event’s key highlight areas that showcased the latest technology for the education sector.

The introduction of the EB-595Wi in 2014 is significant as Epson marks its 25th anniversary of the development of Epson’s revolutionary 3LCD technology, and its 13th year in a row as the world’s top projector maker for 13 years in a row and Singapore’s No. 1 Projector Brand (2013).

In addition, educators keen on providing a seamless integrated teaching and learning experience were able to explore a variety of printing and scanning solutions by Epson. Guests were able to print out photos customized using the interactive projector with Epson’s L-series ink tank system printers that are designed to maximize productivity with cost-effective prints. Photo-realistic large printouts can be achieved with the Epson Stylus Pro Large Format Printer SP9900. Colour document scanners and label printers were also showcased to address different imaging and printing needs within the classroom.

In addition, Epson product specialists demonstrated how these imaging solutions can be integrated to raise productivity in terms of workflow

and enhance engagement between educators and students during a lesson – from calling up a presentation using projection technology, instant interaction on the projected surface, to storing softcopies or printing out hard copies of the annotations and comments for students to bring their learnings beyond the classroom.

Said Ms Tan May Lin, General Manager, Epson Singapore (Sales Division), “The job of educators has become more challenging as our younger generations are growing up in a high tech age where information is accessible almost instantly from a wide array of smart devices.

Educators are constantly on the lookout for innovative ways to engage our students more effectively. It is against this context that Epson is committed to providing our educators with solutions to help them create an exciting and vibrant learning environment, thereby enhancing the interaction between educators and students.”

Held at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, iCTLT is a premier educational technology conference where educators, researchers, policymakers and industry players in the educational technology field connect to chart the future of learning. The fourth edition of iCTLT was attended by 1700 delegates from 23 countries. iCTLT 2014 was organized by the Ministry of Education, Singapore and the Academy of Principals, Singapore. www.epson.com.sg

DCN multimedia Conference System Inform. Impress. Inspire.

Building on its world-class expertise in meeting and conferencing applications.

Bosch extends its successful portfolio with the introduction of the DCN multimedia conference system. It perfectly combines audio, video, meeting content and touch-screen technology in elegantly and ergonomically designed conference devices. The highresolution, capacitive touch-screens allows participants to share documents, retrieve and display presentations, as well as access the internet. It is the first ever IP-based conference system built on the OMNEO media networking architecture and operates on standard Ethernet networks. The system is extremely scalable and flexible, and at the same time ensures costeffective installation and maintenance.

The DCN multimedia conference system is the distinctive artpiece of digital conference management. It fits perfectly in any meeting venue and is key to every success meeting. www.boschsecurity.com/DCNmultimedia

For more information: enquiry.apr@sg.bosch.com

EnterpriseIT

CommunicAsia

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

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Analog Way: New LiveCoreTM Output Expander embedded for the SmartMatriX Ultra, LOE032 with 32 scalers for the Ascender 32, and LOE048 with 48 scalers for the Ascender 48. Ethernet and link cables are provided with the LiveCoreTM Output Expander. Once linked to its LiveCoreTM Switcher, outputs are shared and added resulting in a 12x8 + 2 scaled seamless Matrix system.

The LiveCoreTM Output Expander is a new system that adds 4 + 1 outputs to the SmartMatriX Ultra, Ascender 32 and Ascender 48. Based on the LiveCoreTM platform, the SmartMatriX Ultra, Ascender 32 and Ascender 48 are 12x4 + 1 systems designed for advanced presentations in the staging or

integration environment. For applications requiring a larger number of outputs, the LiveCoreTM Output Expander provides up to 4 additional outputs, plus 1 monitoring output.

The system comes in three different references: LOE016 with 16 scalers

The LiveCoreTM Output Expander models offer a downgrade mode providing higher flexibility in the management of rental stock. For example, a LOE048 is capable of being linked with a SmartMatriX Ultra or an Ascender 32.

Units linked can be controlled through the Web RCS, the user-friendly user interface designed for the LiveCoreTM series, or through the brand new VertigeTM Remote Console. www.analogway.com

Matrox: MuraControlTM 3.0 software for Windows Video Wall management The Matrox MuraControl 3.0 is a Windows video wall management software for Mura MPX-based video walls. Top new features include the ability to render HTML5 feeds such as social media, weather and stock market data and the ability to add multi-lingual Unicode text overlays across individual source windows or the entire video wall.

Additional new features in MuraControl 3.0 for Windows include support for analog input capture adjustments, options for “signal lost� events that let the user define what appears on an overlay window when the source signal is lost or not connected and options for input auto detect filtering that let the user specify a source type. www.matrox.com

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Enlisting the industry knowledge and expertise of Conference partners KNX, IMCCA and Digital Screenmedia Association, AV professionals will be able to hear from both local and international speakers who are leading the trend in these fields.

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SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

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HARMAN'S Crown Audio: DCi Network Display Amplifiers with AVB connectivity Crown Audio has expanded its DriveCore Install (DCi) Series amplifier range with the introduction of its DCi Network Display 8|600ND and 4|1250ND power amplifiers, featuring front-panel status displays and AVB connectivity.

The new eight- and four-channel DCi Network Display amplifiers will be the first professional audio amplifier to be certified by the AVnu Alliance.

Both DCi Network Display amplifiers feature a front-panel display and LED indicators that provide at-aglance indication of key parameters.

A large multifunction knob and push buttons enable instant access to control functions. The amplifiers are compatible with HARMAN’s HiQnet Audio Architect™ system setup and control software and utilize TCP/IP-

based protocol in HiQnet for network monitoring and control.

The eight-channel DCi 8|600ND delivers 600W into 8 ohms (300, 600 and 300W into 16, 4 and 2 ohms) and the four-channel DCi 4|1250ND provides 1250W into 8, 4 or 2 ohms (625W into 16 ohms). Both amplifiers offer direct drive “constant voltage” capabilities for 70Vrms and 100Vrms amplification without the need for a step-up transformer, yielding higher audio quality in distributed audio applications with power outputs of 1250W and 600W respectively.

Both amplifiers provide a host of networking and control features to ensure reliable operation, including continuous load monitoring,

comprehensive error reporting, pilot tone monitoring and programmable general purpose input/output (GPIO) ports. Both amplifiers also offer extensive DSP capabilities such as LevelMAX™ limiters for the inputs and outputs, with thermal limiting, input and output delay, input and output EQ, built-in crossovers and a built-in signal generator. www.harman.com

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SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Revolabs: Next-generation Executive Elite Wireless Microphone Systems The Executive Elite four- and eightchannel wireless microphone systems feature ultra-safe AES-256 encryption with dynamic key updates every three minutes. The system enables total flexibility with AVB, analog, and USB audio output capabilities. Further facilitating installations, the system’s allnew distributed architecture allows the solution’s remote antenna receiver and base units to connect via a standard Cat 6 cable with power over Ethernet (PoE) support — allowing the remote antenna receiver to be placed in the same room as wireless microphones to improve wireless connectivity and simplify setups.

The Executive Elite’s redesigned microphones feature superior audio pickup, improved signal-to-noise ratio, easy operation, and enhanced digital signal communication over wireless links.

The system also introduces gooseneck

microphones to the omnidirectional and directional tabletop series, wearable microphones, and XLR/miniXLR adapters. Using the latest battery technology and power-saving features, the microphones allow up to 20 hours of talk time and 72 standby hours, even with receivers up to 300 feet away.

To reach beyond the system’s standard four or eight microphone channels, multiple Executive Elite receivers can

be linked to utilize up to 76 (rest-ofworld except USA) microphones in a single room. Administrators can monitor and control all microphones via USB, RS232, or Ethernet interfaces locally, or use a new cloud-based management environment for remote command and control capabilities including third-party managed installations. www.revolabs.com

Bittree: New Flush-Mount Data FeedThrough Panels Bittree has launched a new line of flushmount data feed-through panels. The 24-position Cat 6 feed-through panels provide a single location for broadcast, transmission, production, and postproduction professionals to interconnect data and Ethernet systems neatly and efficiently.

The new data feed-through panels are designed to complement Bittree's full line of professional audio, video, and

data patching systems. Available in 1-RU 1 x 24 or 2-RU 2 x 24 configurations, the panels feature dual-fiber LC or ST connections as well as RJ45 shielded and unshielded variants. Designation strips are available as an option for any of these panels. Also, the unique flush-front design provides a cleaner installation that prevents connections from catching and getting pulled out. www.bittree.com

Navitar: New wide angle 4K lens for Sony's SRX-T615 In collaboration with Sony Corporation, Navitar has developed a 0.90:1 wide angle lens exclusively for the SRX-T615 4K digital projector. The 4K-S-0.90 lens provides a 0.90:1 throw ratio at a 29.5mm focal length. With a F/# of 2.5

and maximum shift of +/- 30% full chip, the lens delivers bright, sharp images from the center to the edge of the field. www.navitar.com

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

eyevis: Special dome optics introduced for ESP projectors For a sharp projection onto the curved surfaces on dome simulators eyevis now has included a special dome optics in their product portfolio. The optics is applicable for all eyevis ESP projectors and with a 90째 projection allows a sharp image on the entire projection surface. In the area of special optics eyevis complements its so-called fisheye optics type ESP-OPT-110-FE which is particularly suitable for small simulators with strongly curved projection surfaces.

surface. The appropriate curvature for each surface is adjusted via the first focus ring and via the second focus ring the focus for the overall picture is set.

Thus, a perfectly sharp image emerges.

Both the new dome optics as well as the fisheye optics can be used with all eyevis ESP projectors and so allows for sharp images for dome simulations with resolutions of XGA (1024 x 768 Px) Full HD (1920 x 1080 Px) through to WQXGA (2560 x 1600 Px).

The new dome optics type ESPOPT-110-100 DOME was developed specifically for the usage in dome simulators. The optics generates a tangent compensated image which corresponds to a 90 degree projection.

With two built-in focus rings the optics allows the adjustment of a maximum sharpness on the curved projection

Due to the extremely wide-angle projection, the new dome optics and the fisheye optics also allow more costeffective dome simulations, since less overall projectors are needed to cover the whole simulation area. www.eyevis.de

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SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

RTI: Voice Viper Driver brings voice control to Home Automation Remote Technologies Incorporated (RTI) has developed a new two-way driver for Tenflare’s Voice Viper CTL voice control system, to make it simple for integrators to incorporate voice control into RTI’s cost-effective control and automation systems, thus providing their clients with a powerful “hands-free” complement to the company’s extensive line of user interfaces.

Developed exclusively for the custom integration market, the Voice Viper hardware solution is remarkably accurate and responsive. Always on, the system does not require any button presses to activate — reacting only to spoken commands, via in-wall microphones, while ignoring ambient conversation.

Simple to program and integrate into an

RTI control system using the Integration Designer® drag-and-drop programming environment, the two-way driver allows up to 256 different control phrases.

all electronic systems in a home or commercial facility from A/V equipment to HVAC, lighting, security systems, and much more.

To execute voice commands, Voice Viper’s compact module communicates to an RTI control system via RS-232 or Ethernet for quick, reliable control.

Using just the user’s voice, the RTI system provides complete control over

The Voice Viper driver is available now on RTI’s website at www.rticorp.com in the Driver Store. www.rticorp.com

Symetrix: Symnet Composer Software version 2.0 Remote control protocol can be accessed via TCP/IP and TCP/IP string output modules, simplifying integration with control devices and increasing the number of compatible control systems (e.g. projectors). Module input and output names can be automatically propagated to downstream modules, speeding and standardizing the labelling process, and presets can now be created and edited without going off-line.

The Symnet Composer is an open architecture design software for Edge and Radius DanteTM network audio DSPs. Version 2.0 natively integrates select Dante third-party hardware supporting the discovery, signal routing, and other aspects of AtteroTech unDIO2x2 and unDX2IO and Stewart Audio AV25-2 and NetAV 2x2 devices. Composer 2.0

is the only programming environment needed to build a Dante networked system from start to finish, simplifying and speeding initial design, revisions, and troubleshooting.

In addition to third-party Dante device integration, Composer 2.0 offers a number of workflow enhancements.

In addition to the 600+ DSP modules already within the Edge and Radius system, a new Transient Suppressor DSP module reduces random transient noise (e.g. pen tapping, silverware clanking) for clearer conference audio.

Furthermore, a new “Trace Signal Path Forward” feature now traces through all Dante transmitters and receivers that significantly reduces the time required to understand, follow, and troubleshoot signal flows within large systems.

SymNet Composer 2.0 is available for free download at www.symetrix.co.

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

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AFlex5D: New 40-series processors with edge blending and 3D

Aflex5D’s new 40-series multiprojection edge blending processors simplify the process of combining multiple projectors to create a video wall or seamless “side-by-side” imaging. The AF5D-40 & 41 stacks and blends projectors by using its proprietary Q-Stack™ technology. This eliminates the need for cameras or other hardware. AFlex5D’s standalone design sets up quickly and easily. It is perfect for creating digital signage in vertical or horizontal formats with regular or irregular shapes on either a flat, curved or dome screen. www.airflex5d.com

VTRON: Digicom® ARK 3000 adopts fiber optic architecture

Answering the needs of long distance signal transmission from the sources to video walls, VTRON’s Digicom® ARK 3000 series has adopted the fiber optic architecture. The new architecture is an ideal solution for global customers with scattered control centers throughout a building and across countries. It supports up to 300m signal transmission from the sources to Digicom® ARK 3000 and another 300m from Digicom® ARK 3000 to video walls without a loss in image quality or time delay. Digicom® ARK 3000 possesses the multi-function capability without the need to install matrix or extender keeping the system configuration simple for upgrading and maintenance. www.vtron.com

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

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Sony: S-Series expanded with nine new 3LCD projectors The line-up comprises four new Short Throw models – the VPL-SW235, VPLSW225, VPL-SX235 and VPL-SX225 – and five new Ultra-Short Throw projectors – the VPL-SW630, VPL-SW620, VPL-SX630, VPL-SW630C and VPL-SW620C. The S-Series projectors offer a longer lasting lamp time of 10,000 hours (Short Throw) and 8,000 hours (Ultra-Short Throw), and achieve outstanding picture quality with a range of colour brightness from 2,600 – 3,200 lumens.

The VPL-SW630C and VPL-SW620C models come with enhanced interactivity, including dual pen and auto calibration, as well as additional rich education tools, making it easier for students and teachers to collaborate effectively in the

classroom. All S-Series models can be connected wirelessly via a PC (Windows or Mac) or tablet (iOS or Android). http://pro-sony-asia/projector

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Sony’s Short Throw and Ultra-Short Throw projectors can throw highresolution images, up to approximately 2m diagonal across, onto a whiteboard, wall, or any white surface – from distances of around 44cm (XGA Ultra-Short Throw) and 75cm (XGA Short Throw).

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SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Chief: Fusion® Series expanded for XL Video Conferencing Solutions Chief, is helping installers to meet the expanding demands of mobile video conferencing solutions with the new Extra-Large Fusion® Video Conferencing Cart.

The video conferencing solution continues the tradition of the installerinspired Fusion series with quick adjustments and customization. Sharing video conferencing capabilities across several rooms helps maximize investment for corporate, government or education clients by saving on resources.

The cart is designed for 37-70” displays up to 250 pounds (113 kg). It also can

be customized for dual monitor videoconferencing use with the dual monitor accessory (FCA623B).

Other features include a turn knob to allow a single user to easily adjust the screen height 41.9 to 50.4” (106.4 to 128.0 cm); sleek two-toned aesthetic that fits in multiple environments; preinstalled rack rail for 11 RUs of rack mountable and non-rack mountable AV components; Removable side, rear and front panels for easy component access and cable management and lockable front casters. www.chiefmfg.com/fusion

TO RECEIVE REGULAR COPIES OF SYSTEMS INTEGRATION ASIA MAGAZINE YOU CAN FILL IN THE REGISTRATION FORM AT WWW.SYSTEMSINTEGRATIONASIA.COM

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TECH FOCUS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

The name says it all: Connect, Click ‘n’ share Improving meeting dynamics and reaching decisions faster are two of the main challenges in meeting rooms today. Simplifying meeting dynamics down to an easy level will make for productive meetings. ClickShare from Barco does just that by making collaboration easy.

Developed by Belgian visualization major Barco, ClickShare is a revolutionary collaboration tool that facilitates deeper involvement and sharing of content by all the participants in a meeting environment– just at the click of a button. Irrespective of the device the participant brings to table – laptop, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android-powered device – the participant can present content on the Central Meeting Room screen in the most simple and intuitive way possible.

Using ClickShare, sharing content is instant, simple and interactive. No hassles of cables, no configuration, no re-adjusting of laptop screen resolution.

Using the optimal settings for the user’s system, ClickShare provides access to the large meeting room screen, almost instantly.

Using the system is incredibly simple.

With just one button to push, little is left to figure out: all the basic functionality

is optimized for use with a single click.

Irrespective of number of participants in a meeting environment, the system enables everyone to share data. This very act of encouraging everyone into sharing makes the environment interactive.

How does the system work?

The ClickShare Button is a USB-powered device that helps create the system’s ultimate user experience. Users just have to connect the device to the laptop’s USB port, start the application and click the button – the laptop’s screen content is transferred instantly to the large meeting room screen display.

To ensure that the chosen laptop’s content is displayed on the right screen, every ClickShare Button is paired with a ClickShare Base Unit. The pairing process is quick and simple, so the meeting participants can connect a Button and start sharing without a problem. Additional Buttons can be

purchased to increase the number of participants willing to share.

Connecting a ClickShare Button to one’s laptop does not change the screen resolution. The intelligence that is built into the system’s functionality considers all the equipment involved and ensures that only the best possible resolution is taken on the central meeting room screen.

What are ClickShare’s salient features?

Connect, click and share: Simply said in the most common lingo in household style, it’s just the plug and play sort. No tech-savvy operation, intelligent thinking, no cable mesh/mess. Just plug in, and start sharing content straight away.

Enjoy sound n video, in true AV style: ClickShare allows the users to channel their laptop’s sound through the meeting

TECH FOCUS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

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rooms, and is fully compatible with the ClickShare Buttons and the app for mobile devices. This set offers the unique ClickShare user experience at an economical price.

The full ClickShare experience

If the meeting room comprises two projectors, two screens, or a double HD canvas, then full-featured CSC Base Unit is the right choice. The unit is fully compatible with the ClickShare Buttons, and the apps for mobile devices. It is optimized for use in high-profile meeting rooms and boardrooms. room’s audio system. This simply means that one can enjoy a great sound with one’s chosen video on their computer.

Furthermore, perfectly synchronized sound and video ensures that video clips can be optimally enjoyed. And dynamic content from iPads and iPhones can be shown using the optional ClickShare Link.

Extended desktop: ClickShare can expand the user’s content sharing experience like extended desktop. If the user in the meeting environment wants to have different content on the laptop screen than what he/she shares on the meeting room screen, ClickShare can bring Windows’ extended desktop functionality into play.

Wireless fidelity: To ensure effective wireless connection and a consistent image quality, ClickShare uses both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. So, faster wi-fi access, and faster sharing of content.

Bring your own device, and get the most out of it: As tablets and smartphones have made their entry into meeting rooms, business data is no longer restricted to laptops. In this bring your own device (BYOD) spirit, Barco developed an exclusive app for iOS and Android, expanding meeting effectiveness to mobile devices. Business professionals no longer need to be concerned about their compatibility of their smart gadgets. Clickshare can help them play truly smart.

Freedom to share: The app allows users to share static content, including PDF files, pictures and screenshots. On iOS devices (iPhones and iPads), one can even share the most common and popular Microsoft Office documents.

What’s more, in addition to the presenter’s device library one can travel to the ‘cloud’ virtually and share from there! Cloud Computing made even smarter.

Setting up the ClickShare experience

A ClickShare CSC set consists of a Tray, four Buttons and a Base Unit. If the ClickShare Button is the heart of the ClickShare system, then the Base Unit is the brain. This processing unit receives the wireless stream from the Buttons and ensures it is reproduced in the right way. To allow the participants to choose the most suitable Base Unit for their meeting room, ClickShare brings the CSM Base Unit. If more features and resolution are required, then the CSC is the recommended base unit.

Small but powerful

ClickShare’s CSM Base Unit is made expressly for standard meeting

More pixels, more content

The CSC Base Unit features the ability to display on two screens simultaneously, show four different sources on screen, and enjoy synchronized audio/video.

Combined with some additional innovations and multimedia play, this Base Unit gives users the premium ClickShare experience.

Optimized collaboration experience

By enabling display of content of up to four users simultaneously, the CSC-1 Base Unit brings a complete Clickshare collaboration experience. As many as 64 Buttons can be wirelessly connected to the Base Unit, read to share. That's huge scalability, capable of addressing large networks, across the campuses, and even countries!

This is a sponsored article by Barco http://www. barco.com/en/ Products-Solutions/ Presentationcollaboration/ Clickshare-wirelesspresentation-system

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TECH TALK Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Digital Cooking: Live (à la minute) or Ready-made?

Chefs have a decision when getting ready to cook a meal. They can choose to create a sauce from scratch (à la minute), or simply buy a ready-made packet and mix the contents with water.

Both will end up as sauces, but the effect (and taste) is usually different.

When you design large digital video systems, both in terms of the number of inputs and output, and in terms of the overall topology and scale, you always want to check the latest development of network transport video first. Network transport relies on a computer network infrastructure with network switches which may or may not be dedicated to video routing and distribution. This is an interesting option to consider, along with using a digital AV matrix switcher at the core of the installation.

What are the benefits? Expansion or Scalability. People from this industry will tell you Cost is also the main factor as it might be hidden a bit, because you could think the average Joe can manage a Layer 2 or 3 switch and that manageable switch price would be some hundreds of USD… But the main aspect of Networked A/V transport is the Network part, so you need a Network Engineer, and also an AV Engineer for the source & endpoints, or one of the new mutants that are coming out of the schools.

Having dealt with networked audio & video, the main pitch was : “Tell your customer to throw away his 32 I/O matrix when he wants to add one more input”.

And the regular AV Matrix guys would replicate with the big question: “What is the delay of your system?”

That’s it! You throw the dirty rock in the soup. Delay, the evil word of Networked AV. New Codecs like H265 (only published in 2013) are better than their previous

generation, but then the cost effective chips are far from being ready. Then you have the proprietary recipes, all better than the others, with the latest one kicking out the previous week's flavour.

Keep in mind that these Codecs are processing the audio & video, and this operation takes some time. With pricey custom silicon chips, the delay can be reduced to lines of pixels versus frames of video (which was previously the case).

And what is available now as a standard?

H264 chips. So, a lot of H264 streamers and exstreamers (decoders/renderers) are now common. All of this video is like processed food, however, and it differs from fresh food, or delay-free video.

Figure 1

Figure 2

There is also one other bad word in the Codec world: compression.

Compression is not always bad, and it was used in analog broadcast for example: Interlaced Video! Dropping odd or even lines to reduce the amount of information transmitted is destructive (because your eyes & brain were supposed to recreate the image). The main aspect of compression is whether or not it is destructive. Some algorithms compress the data, but don't loose information. You've heard about a lot of “Lossless” audio codecs, but sadly, never got used to “Lossless” compressed video. YouTube teached you not to, even if today it is the largest 4K broadcast platform.

TECH TALK Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

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Figure 3 still contain the audio message (if the device works well), and then the audio message will still stick to the picture.

When it comes to CODEC, you need to be sure that the packets of audio and packets of video are still synced. This does not always hold true depending on the algorithm & protocol.

Psycho-acoustics is a tricky science, where sound before sight really bothers your brain, and depending on the frequency and type of sound, the effects are worse (see Figures 1-3). So there is one rule in Networked AV to minimise the lip-sync: embed the audio or suffer!

Then pray that good codec (Coder/ Decoder set) is used to render the audio synced with the video. What about video-only systems? With these, you still have the biggest share of the pie in terms of delay: video processing is heavier and more difficult to digest than Figure 4

audio processing (especially with today’s DSP technology which is considered “Live�, meaning that your brain can't tell the difference). The same rule applies for any processor in the distribution chain for traditional A/V switchers: codecs (Video Conferencing or otherwise), scalers, seamless switchers, effects, composers, multi-viewers, even certain fiber extenders; all of them add some frame delay.

One of the benefit of embedding the audio is that the processed image will

This is where the OSI model layers of communications enters the game. Most Audio & Video Codecs (H264, H265 or proprietary) will rely on high level layers (called application layers, as seen in Figure 4), so the way the network was setup and how it behaves is crucial. This choice is usually made for integration with other devices on the same network (service providers or managing devices).

Lower level systems like AVB (or like Cobranet in the past) rely on Level II & Level III infrastructures, so they require a gateway to integrate with higher level devices on the network, and these gateways will introduce further delay in transmission. For example, an H264 camera could be on the same network with AVB devices, but it cannot communicate with those devices without a gateway.

Did You Miss the Earlier Digital Cooking articles from our Digital Cooks?

They wrote about: • Handling different video and audio sources in order to create a stable, well-designed system • About EDID and the differences between Hybrid Digital Matrix Switchers and Signal-Agnostic Fiber Matrix Switchers • About different CAT cable types • Difference between copper and fiber, the single- and multimode cable types and different DVI and HDMI extensions available on the market • On the two new standards - HDMI 2.0 and HDBaseT TM 2.0.

• How to pick the right technology for your needs?

• Introduction to 4K for beginners.

If you would like to view these insightful articles - Now you can view them all in one location.

Check out our revamped website for their articles.

www.systemsintegrationasia.com

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TECH TALK Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

As good as these protocols are, they always rely on network switches that are not only transmitting electricity (Layer I), which is why some manufacturers started to work on all-in-one chips that would interface directly with the physical layer or the Data-Link layer. So more or less, you plug all the services you need to that chip (HDMI, DVI, DP, Ethernet, USB, Analog or Multi-Channel Digital Audio) and the same chip will be connected to a Core 10G Switch (all Fiber). The only drawback of this setup is the management of services or cross points. The integration with third party automation controllers is not that easy: for now, the major control brands don't offer 10G Fiber ports on their Controllers and the API of these chips are not well spread.

In a general manner, the networkbased systems do not integrate tightly with classic A/V automation. Coming from the IT world or having a strong IT background always pushes them to have their own flavour of automation, where traditional Audio & Video switchers relied on third party control through RS-232 and now TCP/IP and/ or the Web. This is their legacy.

So, which one is the best, networkbased transport or dedicated A/V core matrix switcher? The answer to this lies within the requirements of each application. When you need real live Audio & Video (live entertainment, medical, military, mission critical setup) the Core AV switcher is the answer. When you need integration with IT, scalability, size (hundreds of display with limited sources), WAN services (watching a camera 10,000 Km away), then Networked A/V might be the solution. But the truth is in between, and that's maybe tomorrow's generation of products: Core A/V switchers with Network interfaces. If you need a mission critical setup to operate, diagnose and react, the Core A/V system is your best choice, but then if you want to broadcast some of this information in different locations thru LAN or WAN, then you can have connections to the Network A/V infrastructure. In

term of size, Network-based A/V still needs improvement. Today, traditional switchers exists in size of 80x80, 128x128, 144x144, 160x160, and even 256x256 (some crazy built on demand 1000x1000), but there aren't any networked systems that can transport 80 Full HD (2K) non-destructive compressed streams. The “recipe” still doesn't exist.

Aaron Lange

Bertrand Jenner This article is contributed by Bertrand Jenner, Lightware Visual Engineering Asia Technical Director and Aaron Lange, the Sales Director at Lightware Visual Engineering Asia. You may get in touch with them at bertrand. jenner@lightware.eu and aaron.lange@ lightware.eu respectively. SIAsia thanks them for their contribution.

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FEATURE SSystems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Making meetings more productive through Collaboration Tools As the world evolves so does technology. Video-conferencing made it possible for companies to become more effective – less travel time but still having the personal touch and of course improving productivity. The technology within the meeting rooms have also now evolved beyond just the VC. The biggest bugbear previously, during meetings and presentations was the inability to share powerpoint presentations, pictures or notes due to different operating systems and formats of one's laptop, tablet or even mobile. Now that is set to change with the many new solutions that promise to ensure that BYOD truly works seamlessly. Added benefits of these new solutions is that you no longer need to worry about patching to a system as wireless real-time approach promises to save time.

In this article we feature the various collaboration tools and what they offer. Each of these technologies are professional-grade, ensure security, offer collaborative functions and are future-friendly.

AMX: Enzo

Enzo is a purpose built presentation system. All this little box needs is a connection to the internet and to a display system. Power is attained via a PoE injector or PoE capable Ethernet Switch. This makes installing the system anywhere a synch. You would also need a wireless keyboard and mouse to enable interaction.

The presenter can present his or her documents, powerpoint slides, excel sheet, photos, etc only in the following ways - either through a USB Drive or by sharing contents via a cloud storage (Dropbox account) or displaying contents from the browser. So no BYOD privileges in this scenario.

To start a presentation, the user simply needs to click on the “Start a New Session” cue on the Display. This opens up a window to show the various options to present. For materials saved on a USB, the presenter simply needs to connect the USB to the USB port on the Enzo.

For accessing contents from cloud, in this case Dropbox, the user simply needs to click on the option in the menu. The user can either login directly through the wireless keyboard and mouse and give Enzo access approval or sign in through a QR code that is generated by Enzo and shown on the display screen. The user

would need to scan the QR code and grant permission for Enzo to access their Dropbox account.

For sharing information from the internet, the built in web browser allows users to search the web for information to share in a meeting. Simply open the browser and navigate to selected websites. Multiple tabs within the browser allows for viewing of numerous websites easily.

Enzo also has a dedicated Applications button which makes it easy to find your most commonly used web based apps by simply creating a shortcut. Apps can be launched directly from here into a full screen window to maximize application viewing.

If there is a need to make changes to the documents or powerpoint, the user can simply do that through the keyboard and mouse and save the content. All content can be shared either by sending it via an email or a QR code, which Enzo generates quickly where users can use their mobile device to scan and save the link.

No need to worry about security as Enzo removes this risk by purging all downloaded documents and cached files when an Enzo session is exited.

In a nutshell, this little box is meant to replace the room PC. Presenters also do not need to bring their laptops or tablets. This in itself resolves many issues, including security, especially if there are guests presenting and they need to use your network to present.

This would probably work best, though definitely not limited, in an organisation which has a “Cloud” culture. Many of the larger companies now do not have a fixed desk for their employees and expect all to work on the Cloud. www.amx.com

Barco: ClickShare

Central to ClickShare is the BOYD scenario. Participants can bring their laptop PC or MAC, or their iOS or Android-powered mobile devices and be able to present their content wirelessly onto the meeting room screen, with ease.

ClickShare comes in two versions. The CSM Base Unit for standard meetings rooms and the full-features CSC Base unit which is optimized for high-profile meetings and boardrooms. CSC Base units essentially allow content to be displayed on two screens simultaneously and show up to four different sources on screen with synchronised audio/video whereas the CSM Base unit is meant for

automate

performance innovation genius scalability sophistication savvy collaboration

IT that works for any space, large or small. The most reliable end-to-end analog, digital and HDMI/HDCP signal distribution system on the market, now includes control, scaling and transcoding. The Enova DGX connects multiple audio and video sources throughout a facility or campus.

Check us out.

Š 2014 AMX

www.amx.com

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FEATURE SSystems Integration Asia June - July 2014

content from one user to be projected onto one screen.

For this feature we take a look at the CSC version. The ClickShare CSC set consists of a Tray which holds four Buttons, when not in use and the CSC base unit, which is the brain of the ClickShare system. The base or processing unit receives the wireless stream from the Buttons and makes sure it is reproduced in the right way.

The CSC base unit is connected to the room's display systems thus enabling the projection of contents seamless.

Participant's will need to connect the USB ClickShare Button to their PC or MAC laptops and simply click the button for the content on the laptop screen to be shared onto the main meeting room screen(s). For participant's using their iOS and Android mobile devices they will need to install an app to share the content via the ClickShare system.

ClickShare promises wireless fidelity by using both 2.4GHz and 5GHz band with videos played back at 30 fps.

Users need to note that in order to send the content of their laptop screen to the large meeting room display, ClickShare uses desktop scraping. This requires an application that runs on the user's computer and retrieves the information from the graphical card. The screen scraping application is available on the mass storage space of the ClickShare Button. Users browse to My Computer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) and open the ClickShare drive. There, the user will find the ClickShare application, which can be started by double clicking it. Once the application is started, the ClickShare Button will connect to the Base Unit. Users can opt to install the application so that they do not need to start the application for each meeting.

Once installed, this service runs in the background. Upon detecting a ClickShare Button being plugged in, it immediately starts the screen scraping application and initiates the connection with the ClickShare Base Unit. The user will need administrator rights on the laptop to install this service. Once the Button is unplugged from the USB port at the end of the meeting, the

application automatically closes after a few seconds and leaves no trace on the computer. www.barco.com

Christie: Brio

Developed by Christie, Brio enables multiple attendees at meetings to run audio and video presentations from their own devices, without scrambling for matching display cables and adapters, plugging in dongles or installing and configuring new software to get it working.

Christie Brio makes it effortless to meet, share information and work together across multiple sites while automatically coordinating up to five simultaneous video and audio presentations on a maximum of two meeting room displays.

Geographic distance is no limit for Christie Brio – presentations and high quality media are shared between sites quickly and easily so that team collaboration has never been easier.

Brio allows the user to connect and present virtually; collaborate in realtime; display high-quality uncompressed 1080p video sources within a meeting room or stream video between remote sites at up to 30 fps; and keep information secure, as no personal device information or content is loaded or saved on a Christie Brio node.

Using a single, low-cost hardware Brio node, any meeting room can automatically show the screens on up to five computers on that room’s displays.

Once the content is processed by the node it can also be made available to other Brio nodes via ethernet. In this way a variety of information - including PowerPoint and Keynote presentations, audio, digital whiteboards, and videoconferencing sessions - can be shown on any display attached to the Brio node, and shared with all the displays in the same meeting.

Brio nodes can be connected via network to multiple worksites on a corporate campus, or across the country.

All Brio nodes added to a meeting will see the same presentations, and any

Brio node user can share a presentation in the meeting. Brio makes interactive collaboration across multiple rooms and offices straightforward, seamless and immediate, plus the cost of Brio nodes is low enough to equip even remote users in home offices.

Connecting laptops to a Brio node automatically allows their screens to be shared with all displays connected in a Brio meeting, and the platform intelligently displays material in the correct aspect ratio. For multi-site meetings participants use an intuitive network interface to login and set up.

Brio also fully supports smart devices like tablets running Windows 7 or 8, Apple iOS and Android. Both the node control and presentation connection work the same for tablets and smartphones as they do for PCs and Macs. www.christiedigital.com

Crestron: AirMedia

With AirMedia™ anyone can walk into a room and wirelessly present PowerPoint, Excel, Word and PDF documents, as well as photos, on the room display from their personal iOS or Android mobile device. MacBook and PC laptops can be connected seamlessly as well, making presentations from almost any device fast and easy. There are no wires to hook up, no complicated settings to configure, and no AV or control system is required. Simply connect via the local Wi-Fi network and start sharing content from your portable device. Presenters using a MAC or PC can connect to AirMedia without any special software installed. Users however will need to get the application running by using the web browser and following the instructions on the room display or if the application is already pre-installed to look for “AirMedia” in their Windows Start Menu or OS X Applications Folder. While iPad and other mobile device users need only download the free AirMedia app from the iTunes App Store or Google Play.

The AirMedia gateway device is compact and just over an inch thick and can easily fit above a projector or behind a flat panel display. The devices features

FEATURE Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014 HDMI and VGA/Analog audio outputs for connection to the display device.

AirMedia connects to existing Ethernet infrastructure and takes advantage of the organization's Wi-Fi network. AirMedia lets up to 32 users connect at once, switching from one device to the next for seamless collaboration on the fly.

The welcome screen can display the company logo and room name along with easy to follow instructions, enabling presenters to connect their devices and start presenting quickly for maximum productivity.

When using a PC or Mac with AirMedia the user's entire desktop is shared.

Anything seen on the desktop will be sent to the display.Users can even share dynamic content such as videos, supporting frame rates of 15 fps and beyond.

WOW Vision: Collab8

AirMedia can present Microsoft® Office documents (PowerPoint, Word, Excel), as well as PDFs and photos, from a smartphone or tablet device. Open the document in AirMedia and it is shared on the room display. Deliver dynamic and interactive presentations by simply paging through as you would any other application. There's no more being tied to a laptop or podium. You can even share your apps using the "Shot&Show" feature. Simply take a screen shot and AirMedia will show it.

Presenting with AirMedia is simple using intuitive Play, Pause, and Stop buttons that appear right on the user's device's screen. Clicking the Play button selects the device as the presentation source, sending whatever is on the screen to the room display. When done presenting, just click the Stop button to stop displaying from the device.

While presenting, it is often necessary to navigate away from a presentation to find some other related content.

AirMedia lets the user pause the presentation, freezing the current image on screen so others can continue to view it while the user can look through his or her personal files and emails. Once located the new content can be brought up on the device and the user, simply clicks Play to resume the presentation.

To facilitate a user-friendly experience, AirMedia provides a customizable home screen that appears on the room display to welcome meeting participants as they enter the room.

www.crestronasia.com

The Collab8 device plugs into and converts any display, located anywhere in the organization, into an instant meeting point for pure collaboration, independent of device incompatibility, hardware availability, and connectivity constraints.

The Collab8 box connects to and works off an existing wireless network and links every device in a meeting space with the primary presentation screen. In other words Collab8 connects with the organisation's current IT infrastructure without the need to overhaul the network. Each member attends the meeting with their existing devices — desktops, laptops, notebooks, tablets and mobile phones — and is able to immediately view, edit, annotate, comment, and share content with every other member.

Collab8 takes the view that collaboration can occur in a number of ways such as Web-based collaboration; Touch collaboration, External Third-Party collaboration and wireless presentation and based on these premises the box offers seamless support.

For Web-Based Collaboration, Collab8 supports Skype™, Cisco WebEx™, GoTo Meeting™, and Microsoft Lync™ to allow total collaboration from anywhere using an internet connection and web camera.

Collab8 also integrates seamlessly with current touch technology. Interacting with Collab8 extrapolates touch technology so users interact with presentations as natively as they do with their touch-enabled devices. In addition, the extensibility of touch to the presentation medium is unique, drawing from existing utility derived from current devices to the presentation itself. When

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a screen is touch-enabled, users can physically control the display and engage with content from other users in realtime.

Collab8 also works well with external devices such as document cameras, Apple TV™, and video conference devices. Collab8 acts as a bridge to enable and control access to each of these devices according to the preferences of each member at the meeting, so members can bring their own devices and integrate seamlessly within a collaborative, secure environment.

Collab8 allows participants to wirelessly present their personal devices desktop screen as well as stream HD video on the Collaboration Display. Multiple participants can be sharing their personal screen on the collaboration display simultaneously.

Other key features of Collab8 include automatically switching between video resolutions (scaling) easily; empowering users to share files across members in a meeting with a single click; enhancing whiteboard interactivity through multiple inputs; integrate with third party signal types and devices as well as enable chat by opening instant-messaging across each member though a one-on-one chat system.

A Collab8 system set-up comprises of a Collab8 Wireless Collaboration Gateway box, a Display, Local Area Network and a Windows, Macintosh, iPad/iPhone or Android devices with the respective Collab8 client. In adition a USB or HDMI camera for distant participants connecting over MSLync, Skype, GoToMeeting, or WebEx as well as a conferencing speaker microphone for remote communication as well as audio playback of content being shared on the display. www.wowvision.com

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FEATURE SSystems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Issues to consider for a Boardroom AV Setup

by Louis Chan coming from all corners, the various AV & data cables from the AV panels, and the maintenance-access for any active electronics; all of this represents the next challenge for the Designer. At first appearing as small matters, these quickly grow into sleepless nights and contentious meetings. Nevertheless, this negotiation process has to be undertaken, in order to win through to an agreed solution.

As mentioned previously, the trend is for the main display to become bigger and bigger, meaning that positioning of the video conference camera(s) also becomes a big issue.

In the Boardroom, the Video display system is in many ways the heart of the AV system because it controls the look/ format of the presentations. Nowadays there is a wide variety of choice in video display technology: front-projection, rear-projection, projection cube, plasma display panel, LCD display panel, and even LED display wall! The type of display technology chosen depends on the application, size of room, location of audience, physical room-limitations and clients’ preference. We are not going to elaborate on the choice of display type in this article, but will discuss the impact on the design process.

The housing for any projection screen and the space-allocation for projector lifts above false ceilings is a familiar practice for many years now in Boardroom-coordination. However, due to the maturity of active display technology, Interior Designers are always doing their best to incorporate these big rectangular black boxes into the media wall design. As display sizes become larger, the structural fixings behind the display panels becomes more and more an issue. In addition to the manufacturerprovided or custom-made mounting brackets, rigid structural columns are often required to support the 200+ kg displays, such as 103” plasma display

panels, 165” LCD display walls built of 3x3 arrays of 55” seamless LCD modules, or even LED display walls such as <2mm small dot pitch SMD which are now commercially- available. Bear in mind that logistics is one of the considerations in selecting the display technology as it may not be possible to deliver a single large display panel or long projection screen from the ground floor to the installation location.

The ceiling profile and the table design are additional challenges for the AV Designer, as well as for the Architect or the Interior Designer. The technical requirements raised by the AV Designer often conflicts with the aesthetic perspective. Say for example, the positioning of table top microphones vs ceiling speakers in order to achieve the highest possible PAG/NAG values or to maximize the performance of mixminus configuration; the positioning of through-table boundary microphones and AV input panels which considerably affects (or even "destroys") the table design, as openings for installation, and trenches for maintenance have to be created within luxury tables costing upwards of a million dollars. Once these are agreed, next-up for discussion is the cable-management under or within the table. especially the microphone cables

Traditionally, the video conference camera or even the integrated camera with codec were simply placed underneath or on top of the display.

Now, with slab heights unchanging, and therefore reduced or even no clearance between the top of the display and the ceiling, It is almost impossible to keep this design approach or the far-end may always be looking at the top of the delegates heads during the call. Locating the camera under the screen is still tenable, but the height of the camera lens is tending to match or even be lower than the height of the conference table. There are embarrassing courtesy issues if the camera is pointed and focused too low. Most tables are 700 to 750mm high, and so it is ideal to position the lens at around 1100mm +/- 100mm for the best result. If it is impossible to achieve, the option of putting the camera next to the display, either left or right, or both, can be considered.

Whatever the type of camera selected, brighter room-ambient lighting is absolutely beneficial to the video quality.

600 Lux at the table as a minimum and daylight colour-temperature are bestpractice for optimizing the performance of the cameras. Even light-distribution across the walls and faces of participants is very important as equally as avoiding the use of direct down lighting during video-conferencing, or else severe

FEATURE Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

shadowing and extreme under/overexposure of the delegates will be seen by the far end due to the harsh contrasts and shadows created.

While conducting a video conferencing, bear in mind that the camera is capturing the participants AND also the background. Everything behind the participants drastically-affects the quality of the conference. Walls must be finished in neutral plain colour, with no texture - always avoid using stripes, swirls or glossy surfaces. Any moving objects should also be avoided as it distracts the attention of participants at the far end; for example, people walking in and out of the doors or passing by in the corridor.

Other than room treatment for video, acoustical treatment for improving audio performance is another critical point to build a successful Boardroom. Sound absorption and diffusion materials can contribute to reducing the in-room reverberation while speaking, which is the sound/voice bouncing back and forth between reflective surfaces such as ceilings, walls, windows and the floor. Sound-separation between the Boardroom and other adjacent areas is also important because sound or noise coming from outside the Boardroom could be distracting while conducting a meeting. Such intrusive-noise typically comes through non sound-insulated walls, windows, through the air ducting without proper acoustical treatment, and is only worsened by fan noise from the Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. Acoustically-rated

gypsum board in-filled with fibreglass, double glazing windows and silencers are our weapons in this case, but requiring close-coordination with the Interior Designer and MEP designer.

Finally, the electronics. It is a given, that every microphone needs echocancellation, with not just far-end speech but also near-end with other electronic sound sources such as laptops, used as the reference signal. Even with sufficient reverberation-control - hard to achieve in the average corporate space due to the use of glazed corridor walls and generally hard-surfaces - one microphone per two users should be considered the minimum, and ceilingmicrophones avoided so far as possible.

Touchscreens are necessary, but MUST be well-programmed if they are to be actually used successfully; we have seen too many hopelessly-difficult-touse systems, requiring complete reprogramming before the user could ever be allowed to use it. Use of the newer voice-pattern-recognition algorithms found in some of the more-progressive DSP systems helps further by allowing the system to auto-adjust microphone gain according to user-characteristics, something not possible before.

Having built the system, SETUP remains a crucial element. Creating correct gainstructure, calibrating the microphone system for the average human voicelevel, equalizing the loudspeaker system(s), and training the users or the support department, are all critical steps towards realizing a successful system.

And, finally, DOCUMENTATION. With

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the AV system always under pressure as the last system to be installed, the AV Integrator is equally under pressure to handover and walk away. Creating and delivering a full as-built set of documentation, doesn't happen naturally or easily. Self-discipline for Design/Build Contractors, or the persistent pressure from the AV/Technology Consultant, is needed to achieve this. The as-built layouts, system schematics with all cable labels, cable schedules, TRUE racklayouts, Source-code and GUI files, DSP files, O&M Manual, and the product warrant certificates are all a part of the ongoing maintenance and speedyservicing of the AV System, but are very often missed.

In conclusion, we as Consultants, or as design/build Contractors, need high-energy, patience, and persistence to design, build, T&C, Document, and effectively handover Boardroom Systems. There is as much political/ diplomatic, as technical, skill needed throughout the often long design process, well ahead of the build phase.

We do need to acknowledge the efforts of Infocomm in this regard, in their creation of the globally-recognized CTS (Certified Technology Specialist) training and ongoing training, along with the associated CAVSP (Certified Audio-Visual Service Provider) Company accreditations. These programs afford now the Operators and various Clients, some assurance that such-qualified organizations truly CAN realized buildable and USABLE Boardrooms. www.ihd-hk.com

Louis Chan, BEng (HONS) EE, CTS-D is the Director of Operations & Design at ihD Ltd | Global Technology Consultant. ihD Ltd is a Hong Kong-registered Private Limited Company, specialising in ELV, Audio-Visual, Acoustics, IT, Security, PBX System Design and Consultancy. The company is not involved in any way in the supply of equipment nor in installation and is focused instead on Design, Consultancy, and Project Management, thus allowing them to remain independent, specifying equipment and systems most suited to their clients technical and budgetary needs.

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

To date, the largest InfoComm China exhibition, continues to raise its profile

2015 event set to grow further as China is set to widen lead over the other Asia Pacific subregions in Pro-AV sales

It was a “great show” for exhibitors at InfoComm China 2014, which ended its three-day run on 11 April 2014, with many rebooking larger booth sizes for next year’s event. The organizer, InfoCommAsia Pte Ltd., announced that re-bookings, including advance bookings from companies that missed this year’s event, point to a larger show next year, scheduled for 8-10 April 2015.

“We are very encouraged with this year’s event outcomes. In addition to increased headcounts and gross area occupied, our onsite surveys show that there was great satisfaction all round. Exhibitors reported good enquiries from high-level professionals. Visitors were delighted by the range of technologies displayed.

We are confident that InfoComm China will see continued expansion in the years ahead, especially in the light of new findings in InfoComm’s recently concluded 2014 AV Market Definition

and Strategy Survey,” said Richard Tan, Executive Director of InfoCommAsia Pte Ltd. Preliminary results of this survey indicate that the Asia Pacific has now overtaken North America as the largest AV market in the world, with China on top of the Asia Pacific stakes, and set to widen its lead over the other subregions.

The buzz from the crowd of visitors at InfoComm China 2014, packing all six halls even within the first hour of opening, is a testament to the huge opportunities in China. Not only did the show achieve yet another record number of visitors – 20,738, or 7% increase over the 2013 show – there was also an increase in the number of overseas visitors viz. from India, South Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia, attesting to the growing importance of the event in the Asia Pacific. Summit attendance registered an even more impressive

increase – up 46%, or 3,456 delegates over the three days.

Among the companies which have booked larger booths for InfoComm China 2015 are Sony, Leyard, Lutron, Sennheiser, BenQ, Liantronics, Creator and Seeyoo. Christie Digital had great success with their bold, cross-branding collaboration for this year’s event, offering an innovative 360-degree projection – the first-of-its-kind in the industry – of the coveted Jaguar car.

Said Lu Yi, Christie’s China Marketing Manager: “We are very happy with our participation this year, and will definitely be back again next year.”

InfoComm China 2015 will take place at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, China, from 8-10 April 2015. www.infocomm-china.com

Exhibit Highlights

The AMX MXT Touch panel featuring the new G5 Graphic Engine

The AMX Booth concept showcased the company's theme of “AV for an IT World”. All the products on exhibit were networked and featured streaming capabilities. On exhibit was the NMXENC H.264 Encoders, which can connect directly to PCs, cameras and set top boxes and provide the on-ramp to stream the video on a network media solution like Vision2, for immediate world-wide access. Also showcased

was the MXT touch panels with the new G5 Graphic Engine which provides even faster and smoother animations and transitions, with the quadrupled processor power of the new Quad Core processor. Also exhibited was the DGX Matrix Switcher working on a single fibre wire. The Epica DGX16 is a customizable, fibre optic matrix switcher with integrated signal conversion, and when used in conjunction with AMX

EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014 compatible DGX Fiber Transmitters and Receivers the system also provides transport of uncompressed video, embedded audio and one-way control along with video scaling.

Besides the six themed zones, Christie also showcases its line of Business products comprising, LCD, 1-chip and 3-chip DLP projectors.

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web browsing features, the user simply needs to press the “Voice Recognition” button and say a command and the panel does the rest.

Also on display was a mock-up Boardroom with AMX solutions featuring an AMX switcher, ENZO the AMX collaboration tool, an AMX control panel and an AMX connection port, working seamlessly.

Chris Yang of Comm-Tec Asia Streaming made easy with DMCO series of output cards for Crestron DigitalMedia Matrix Switchers

Christie Digital took the opportunity to showcase its comprehensive end-to-end visual solutions through its multi-zone display at its booth. Divided into six zones, each zone featured state-of-theart Christie products that were ideal for specific applications. The Share zone featured Christie's collaboration tool, the Brio; the Display zone featured the Christie QuadHD84 LCD panel that has a 3840x2160 resolution and true 60Hz refresh update rate; the Imagine zone highlighted the Spyder X20 video processor controlling multiple displays; the Collaborate zone showcased the Christie Phoenix that enables seamless access and control of audio-visual data and in this scenario it worked in tandem with six 80-inch Christie Entero HB video wall display cubes. A networking streaming solution at its core, the Christie Phoenix allows users to collaborate, synthesize and generate fast and accurate decisions in critical situations; the Visualize zone showcased a luxury sedan being mapped with four Christie Roadster S+22K-J 3-chip DLP projectors equipped with Christie Twist software; the Interact zone featured six units wide by four units high Christie MicroTiles complemented with Christie Interactivity Kit and Christie Jumpstart thus enabling multiple visitors to interact simultaneously with content on the MicroTiles.

Crestron Asia showcased its complete end-to-end 4K distribution system, through its DM® platform in infoComm China 2014. In essence the solutions on display showcased Crestron's 4K distribution from source to switcher to receiver to display. Also exhibited was Crestron's effortless HD streaming capabilities to any device. This is made possible with the DMCO 7-series output cards for Crestron DigitalMedia™ Matrix Switchers. Each streaming output supports resolutions up to HD 1080p at bitrates up to 25 Mbps. Built-in scaler function enables instant, trouble-free switching between sources of any type or resolution. Audio support includes stereo signals, as well as multichannel audio signals down-mixed to stereo via a DM® switcher input card with DSP. Highquality video and audio are maintained using high-performance H.264 video and AAC audio compression. Also shown was the latest infiNet EX® wireless control module, that is a compact, low-cost wireless device that provides an IR and RS-232 control interface to control video displays, AV components, small appliances and other equipment, without having to run additional control wires through walls and ceilings.

Another exhibit that caught the attention of visitors was the TSW-1052 10.1” Touch screen that featured onboard voice recognition. As an alternative to pressing buttons and scrolling through lists, the TSW-1052 provides the ability to simply use voice commands to control virtually anything. With built-in multilanguage support, media streaming and

COMM-TEC, based out of Hong Kong, exhibited for the first time at InfoComm China showcasing its range of solutions for Network and Control; presentation and conference; signal management and processing as well as racks and mounts.

Their key objective was to identify key partners and expand the brands in China. “We consider this as a seeding time for us for the industry in China to know our products and our company.

The crowd has been good and we have been kept busy,” said a pleased Chris Yang, Managing Director, Comm-Tec Asia Limited.

d&b audiotechnik China highlighted their new xC-Series, with elements of the xS-Series also on show. Both are part of the d&b White range of installation loudspeakers. The new xC-Series, a set of column loudspeakers intended for use in challenging, highly reverberant public spaces, come in discreet, aesthetically designed cabinets available in standard white or black, for any permanent installation. The 16C 2-way passive column houses four 4" neodymium drivers and a 0.75" compression driver mounted on a CD horn. The HF horn has a nominal dispersion of 90° x 40° (h x v). The 24C features six 4" neodymium LF drivers and an HF array of six 1.1"

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

dome tweeters with a nominal horizontal dispersion of ninety degrees. The HF array with a nominal twenty degree vertical dispersion, is adjustable between zero and minus fourteen degrees, while the LF is permanently down tilted by five degrees with directivity maintained as low as 370 Hz. Adding the 24C-E extender to the 24C increases LF vertical directivity down to 190 Hz. The xC-Series are all cardioid design with a broadband attenuation of -18 dB between front and rear propagation.

Gefen's new DVI KVM over IP solution that enables a user to create a virtual, cross-point Matrix on any network

Gefen exhibited its new DVI KVM over IP solution that enables a user to create a virtual, cross-point Matrix on any network. The DVI KVM over IP with local output helps improve computer systems by increasing workstation access from anywhere on the LAN and streamlining equipment. This sender/receiver system, when combined with a Gigabit Ethernet switch, enables computer data access using a keyboard, video monitor and mouse. The sender unit delivers high resolution video in the DVI format with four USB peripherals, analog stereo audio and RS-232 control signals through the switch to the receiver unit, which connects to the KVM workstation.

Each sender and receiver unit can be connected to the LAN by one CAT-5 cable in distances up to 100 meters.

The DVI KVM over IP uses a method of visually lossless compression, and boasts latency of less than two frames.

A web server interface is included for easy configuration and set-up. Each receiver comes equipped with an integrated 3-port Ethernet switch for connecting additional computers at the remote location. One DVI output on the sender unit is provided for local video monitoring.

Kramer's KDS-EN1 H.264-based encoder

Kramer showcased its range of 4K HDBaseT solutions for the first time in China. Also exhibited was Kramer's AV over IP solution – the KDS-EN1 is an H.264-based encoder for digital signals up to 3G HD-SDI, composite and component video, HDMI and balanced audio. All signals are encoded and transmitted an an IP stream of live video.

K-Touch, the Cloud-Based system for creating iOS and Android room control applications was also featured. The K-Touch system allows the installer to easily integrate common touch devices as user interfaces in their Kramer-based room control system. By configuring the Kramer room controller to communicate over standard IT networks with an iOS or Android touch device, and designing the required control screen on the Cloud screen designer, a complete, advanced, touch-based room control system is readily available at your fingertips.

Lightware Visual Engineering's TPS family of products are now compatible with Panasonic DIGITAL LINK projectors

communication over a single CATx cable. In recent years, Lightware has also developed a large range of products supporting HDBaseT under its ’TPS’ product line. The TPS family contains standalone twisted pair extension systems, twisted pair matrix boards and the newly developed UMX-TPS family which adds support for analogue video and audio in addition to DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort. With this compatibility, both routing and point to point extension can be simplified by connecting one of Lightware’s TX95 series extenders or modular extension boards directly to the projector’s DIGITAL LINK input over a single CATx cable.

REACH Bee 8 solution

Leyard Opto-Electronic Co Ltd, officially launched its 1.6mm pitch glasses free 3D LED 110” panel for the Chinese market, at the exhibition.

Lightware Visual Engineering demonstrated the compatibility of its TPS family of products with Panasonic DIGITAL LINK projectors. Panasonic has been an early adopter of HDBaseT technology, and through its DIGITAL LINK range, enables direct connectivity of HDMI/DVI, ethernet and RS232

REACH which had a continuous flow of visitors to its booth, showcased its video recording and streaming system – the Bee 8. The system supports up to 1080p HD video signals and presentations signals and in essence provides, recording, streaming and playback capabilities. Bee 8 captures video and VGA signals and converts them into MP4 file format. Users can save and copy the recording onto a USB stick, should there be a need, through the USB port provided on the front panel of the system, or upload the recording onto other web servers or ftp servers automatically. For ease of use the system

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

can be controlled by multiple means such as through the front panel, a mobile device or Central Control System. Being easy to install and operate the Bee 8 is suitable for Education, Medical Care and Enterprise use.

This year Shure Asia presented simulations of various application environments in the booth. It was to showcase to visitors how Shure products can be utilized and incorporated in small meetings, large conferences, and important government congresses. Also exhibited at the booth was the newly developed Shure DIS DC 5900F Flush Mounted Discussion Unit. The unit boasts a compact, flush-mount design that integrates into the conference environment with minimal impact to the surface. With an innovative design, DC 5900F offers many configuration options and enables users to select different combinations of components to meet their needs. In addition to GM 5923 and GM 5924 Gooseneck Microphones, Shure Microflex series, MX405, MX410 and MX415 gooseneck microphones, can also be connected to the DC 5900F using the XLR / Microflex adaptors.

These extensions will allow system integrators to select the most suitable directional microphone in order to achieve the best audio performance for the application environment.

full HD video content via H.264, VC1, MPEG4, DivX6 and many other encoding formats. There are two options available â&#x20AC;&#x201C; motherboard only and signage player.

Named as the DSA2LV, the player is compatible with Android 4.2 and Linux and sports a Gigabit-LAN interface and Wirless-LAN for remote access. In addition, several USB ports and one UART port are available to connect peripheral devices. The audio signal comes through line out or digitally through HDMI. The DSA2LV is approved for 24/7 reliable non-stop operations.

tvOne CS-2855 new interface

tvOne took the opportunity at InfoComm China to showcase its new interface for the CS-2855 and its new control software. tvONE's C2-2855 Universal Scaler PLUS can now be setup and managed using either its new innovative front panel or via a computerbased control panel that allows setup in less than 1/3 the time of the previous generation. The new intuitive front panel helps with setup time through colour modulated soft-buttons; intuitive, categorized menus; and recall of up to 12 presets with 2 button-presses. The C2-2855 control software is available on several Windows PC OS platforms and interfaces directly with the unit.

Wolfvision exhibited for the first time in China, the EYE-14

Shuttle's DSA2LV player

Shuttle, Inc. showcased an ARM-based platform tailored for digital menu board application that houses a Cortex-A9 1GHz dual-core processor. It supports

Wolfvision exhibited for the first time in China, the EYE-14 versatile imaging camera. WolfVision's EYE cameras are high resolution LIVE IMAGE cameras which can be used for various live image presentation applications, and also as a lower priced alternative to a Ceiling

Visualizer. Although the EYE-Series cameras do not come with their own lighting system, adequate ambient light or alternative room lighting for the capture area would suffice. It is also possible to mount the camera on tripods, pan-tilt-zoom mounts or wall mounts designed for video conferencing or surveillance cameras. The EYE-14 also features a laser marker to enable users to know where to place whatever objects they want focused on the display, giving users an accurate idea of where the capture area is. The marker, however does not appear on the display, thus ensuring a clean look and feel. Using the newest processor from WolfVision and having an 8GB internal storage, the EYE 14 is enabled for the latest suite of software and iPad apps from WolfVision, including the innovative vSolution Connect. The EYE-14 offers 1080p resolution with 980 TV lines at 30 frames per second and 14x optical zoom.

Xilica Uno Series digital audio processors

Xilica exhibited its Uno Series of digital audio processors that is built around Xilica's 40 Bit Floating Point DSP Engine.

Designed for fixed audio installation, Uno is an apps based DSP that bridges the gap between fixed architecture and open architecture type processors.

Xilica calls Uno a Hybrid Architecture DSP. Installers simply download a predesigned DSP app from their app library into the NeuConsole software. Each app has DSP modules specific to the predesigned application and in a specific fixed order. The user than adjusts the parameters of each DSP module using the sofware GUI to complete the system processing. Afterwhich the user transfers the DSP design project to the Uno processor. According to the company there is a DSP app for just above very application. Simply put this eliminates programming skills or DSP design time required as it is already done for you.

Visual unobtrusiveness Large and high ceilings

www.dbaudio.com

The challenges remain consistent, but seldom appear independently. The d&b columns, however, are new and corrective; a unique combination of waveguides and damped ports create a cardioid pattern with a constant horizontal directivity of 90째, whilst the tight vertical dispersion tilts downwards in the low to mid range and is adjustable in the high frequencies. Handy for those who like to comprehend word for word in long, large, high, reverberant spaces with impediments to intelligibility. The d&b xC-Series: positions text clearly.

Huge room volumes

Highly reflective surfaces

<oki\d\cp i\m\iY\iXek jgXZ\j Parallel wall mounting

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

China Market Sentiments According to preliminary results in Infocomm's recently concluded 2014 AV Market Definition and Strategy Survey, the Asia Pacific has now overtaken North America as the largest AV market in the world, with China on top of the Asia Pacific stakes. Talking to some of the exhibitors at InfoComm China, you do get the impression that last year was quieter than usual. One of the underlying reasons was due to the change in government leadership which resulted in a number of projects being suspended.

However, to put things in perspective this does not really run contrary to the survey by InfoComm as there were still many projects being completed in China but not at the pace that most of them were used to in recent years. The good news is that almost everyone that Systems Integration Asia spoke to, feel that things will be getting back on track soon.

more effort in diversifying to different segments such as hotels, universities and corporations. Our strategy is to build our pre-sales and after-sales expertise by strengthening our technical team. We are at the same time developing channel partners for the different segments.

Our 1st quarter performance despite the government projects slowing down is actually 20% above our budgets, so I believe with the plans we are implementing, we will realise strong results this year.”

by the Government will be better for the industry as a whole,” says Tony Yeung, Director at Crestron Asia Ltd. According to Tony, Crestron Asia experienced growth in 2013 and they expect it to continue for this year. “One aspect the Government is looking into is the health, related to pollution and other aspects. The Government has been making certain effort on hardware solutions and now they are also looking at software solutions that can combine with one another to maximize benefits.

We are in the zone where we are able to match the Government's aspirations.

We are able to provide them with energy efficiency software solutions, thereby helping to control pollution. We expect this sector to play a key role in our business in the near future.”

Peter Low, CEO of AMX, North Asia Region comments, “There is a slowdown currently due to the new Government leadership. However existing clients are still buying. Some of them are taking the opportunity to transit from analogue to digital and others are upgrading to newer solutions.”

“The changes of demand in intelligent solution are due to the Government taking stock on how purchases are made and also how solutions can better enable their objectives. So actually in the long run the changes in policies

Kramer's Managing Director for China, Arthur Wang highlights that 70% of Kramer's business is government related.

“It does affect us but we are putting in

Timo, based in Shenzhen has been key to Lightware's success in China

Lightware Visual Engineering stepped onto the China scene later than most established companies, as their first products were only introduced in 2007. However, since opening their Asia office in 2013, the company has been aggressive over the past year and a half. “As we are foremost an engineering company, our key focus was to penetrate the country through technology training. This we did by targeting specific integrators and endusers,” said Aaron Lange, Sales Director at Lightware Visual Engineering Asia. In addition they conduct one-to-one visits to consultants. Last year the company conducted 12 trainings across China's major cities. This year according to Aaron, they are targeting the 2nd and 3rd tier cities with plans for 15 such training as well as increasing the number of visits to Consultants. “We also arrange two visits to our HQ in Budapest for System Integrators and end-users, and separate visits for consultants each year.

These visits help them to experience live presentations of the systems, as well as meet and interact with our engineers.”

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

All the hardwork is bearing fruit as the company is making inroads into China.

“Our biggest installation recently is the Han Show by Wanda, which is similar to the House of Dancing Water in Macau.

The concept is being permanently brought to 5 cities in China with the first in Wuhan, which will be completed in the 3rd quarter. All of the routing is going through our large-scale 80x80 DVI Matrix switcher with fibre extensions,” says a pleased Aaron. They have also made breakthrough into the Rental & Staging market and work closely with Banner Thinking who specialises in the Hotel segment to make inroads into the hospitality segment as well. “This year we can feel that all our work is paying off as there is more awareness of our brand at the InfoComm China exhibition compared to last year. Also, our country manager, Timo, who is based in Shenzhen and who has been with us for one year, has been working hard to build the relationships in China and it is paying off.”

Bill Li and Chuck Kelley

Jupiter Systems China has been established in China for 10 years. Chuck Kelley, Vice President, Operations at Jupiter Systems comments, “Over the years the business in China has been changing. There is tremendous amount of competition. Our strategy is to focus on the larger projects as they require more high-tech solutions. Last year we grew close to 30%. It was painful and we struggled but we were fortunate that we managed find the right projects.”

Chuck however says that the first quarter of this year has been quiet, reiterating what most companies felt and hopes to see the remaining quarters being better.

Jupiter China is also very much into training and their office in Beijing, trains an average of 50 to 70 people a week.

“The response to our trainings is positive because we have very good partners and

dealers. The trainings help attendees better understand our technology and solutions which helps in the long run with our sales,” added Bill Li, Senior Marketing Supervisor, Jupiter Systems China.

David McKinney, General Manager, China operations, Professional Division China concedes that projects relating to the Government sector has been hit.

For Harman, though David lets on that they have been growing year on year.

“The current government is taking a conservative approach. However the cinema business has been good. In 3 years time the government intends to grow the cinema screens to the level of that of USA. We have a JBL Cinema range designed specifically for China and it is doing well. Theatre and Cultural Centres have also been positive for us.

I would say this year overall we will see growth.” Harman has also set up its first service centre in China at Shenzhen to support their growing business. In addition they have been manufacturing products specifically for China. “For instance we have KTV focused speakers as it is a big business here as well as specific amps for the Bar market. In the near future we will be launching China specific wireless microphones as well,” said David. Tweaking their solutions for the Chinese market has indeed been a boon for Harman.

Reiterating David's take about the Cultural segment, Lin Yu, Vice President, Christie Digital Systems (Shanghai) Co., Ltd says, “The Government is putting emphasis on cultural activities to enable citizens to better appreciate culture. Thus there has been opportunities in refurbished as well as new cultural assets.” Other sectors where Christie sees potential is in the second and third tier cities where government related developments in the areas of museum and exhibition centres are on the rise.

Christie has also seen tremendous opportunity in digital mapping. “This aspect was very good for Christie where there were large scale mapping projects at historical sites and cultural centres last year and this should continue to grow,” says Lin. Christie is also synonymous with Digital Cinema where there are now more than 20,000 screens in China with 5000 screens installed just in the last year.

“This sector has been active for us. Now with our laser solutions we see potential for premium screens.” dataton's, COO, Lars Sandlund was positive about China. “It is our biggest market worldwide and the business is continuing to grow for us. We have also seen the industry grow where now our customers are doing advance stuff and creating their own unique designs.

The industry is developing with its own style which is very heartening.” In part the WATCHOUT Academy which is

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014 have satisfactory service in China to help build confidence of our clients.” With all the plans up his sleeve, Oscar is on track to meet his objective

(L-R) Ken Pefkaro, Jason Tirado and Bill Zhu

Lars Sandlund, COO, dataton

part of dataton's outreach programme has played a key role as it offers the company the opportunity to educate users on the more advanced functions of their solution. Becoming more familiar with the WATCHOUT software, has enabled the industry to confidently create more intriguing designs.

Rod Sommerich, Regional Sales Director, Far East & Pacific Rim for Gefen was far more positive about China. “Business has been good and strong for us and I am fairly confident we will finish the year with the same growth we experienced last year. 5 years ago it was box selling but now it is solution selling as clients are looking for solutions to resolve issues. We see potential growth for our switching and matrix solutions.”

RGB Spectrum which had its largest stand to date at the show was also confident of the Chinese market. “2013 was challenging but the Chinese market has been very good for us,” said Ken Pefkaro, Marketing Director, RGB Spectrum. “In part this is due to the great sales team that we have here as well as the PR agency who have their feet on the ground in China, which is very important. We are positioning ourselves within the security and gas segment which is a growing sector in China.”

Oscar Hsu Sales Director for Asia at tvONE has uprooted himself from the Taiwan office to China to drive the business for the company. tvONE APAC achieved more than USD3 million in revenue in APAC 2013 and Oscar wants to ensure that the momentum is continued. “My aim is to continue to maintain close relationship with our customers and grow the business together with the system integrators and distributors. There is much potential to grow and we have comprehensive solutions including that of Magenta to meet any requirements. Key to our momentum will be our continued after sales support, technical support and also conducting of training courses. We also have scheduled road shows that help ensure that people are familiar with our products. In addition we ensure that we

It is apparent that road shows are prominent in China. Digital Projection conducted 65 last year. Many companies are travelling across this huge country to ensure that potential clients, distributors and dealers are familiar with their products and these moves have indeed helped the companies with their bottom line. Digital Projection has more than doubled its office space and team in China over the last year.

Their new headquarters in Beijing has 3 times more floor space and they now have a sales team in the west of the country. “With our expansion of products and new models with leading edge technology we are able to cater from the low end of the market to the high end thus opening many opportunities for us,” said Nick Cottiss, International Sales & Marketing Director of Digital Projection Limited.

Nick Cottiss with Bruce Xiong

Bruce Xiong, National Manager, Digital Projection China adds, “Once the government stabilises, we expect to grow. In the meantime we are preparing for the expected invigoration of the industry through introducing unique products for certain vertical markets and continuing with our workshops and road shows as well as doing market research to understand the needs of customers for now and the future.”

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INDIA & ME NEWS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

High Tech Campaign in Indian General Elections Projecting the winner Nation wide, Christie creates a record of sorts The summer time, this time, in India broke all sorts of records. The General Elections to Indian Parliament offered to the world two different scripts of the changing face of the world’s largest democracy. It has stirred up the whole big mass of political equations- to the extent of rewriting the Subcontinent’s contemporary history. At the same time, it announced the arrival of ‘technology campaign’ for an ambitious, winning cause. While employing technology for a public cause isn’t that new today, the latest Indian case has truly made record of sorts.

Interestingly, visualization solutions major Christie, in association with British Hologram solutions provider Musion Das, accounted for a major stake in what may have a serious script for the technology industry in the times to come.

It’s jubilation time of sorts for many in India right now. The heat waves of Summer 2014 have only paled in front of the hot climate generated in ‘3D’ by the technology-campaign ushered in by India’s hottest political champion. Even as the rank and file of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are trying to come to grips with the political revolution they set in, analysts and tech-savvy enthusiasts are busy evaluating the impact and

its bearing on future elections in the country. While this would take sometime, a generic assumption can be based on the conviction the party think-tank had put on the measure they pushed two years ago in State Elections.

During the Gujarat Assembly Elections in 2012, the party, under the stewardship of Narendra Modi had roped in 28 units of Roadster WU12K-M DLP projectors to be used for 3D projection campaign across 53 locations from 26 cities in the State.

While that campaign had a tremendous success, it convinced the party think-tank so much that they ordered for as many as around 200 projectors – a whopping eight-fold rise – for around 1200 events to be spread across as many as 100 locations in the country and over two months, for the latest General Elections.

Clearly, the latest endeavour shattered the Guinness Record set by the same party two years ago.

For those uninitiated, or those curious on ‘facts & figures,’ we present the following: • As many as 120 Roadster HD14K-M, and 80 Roadster HD20K-J 3 Chip DLP (with 14000, and 20,000 Lumens brightness respectively, with native HD resolution- 1600-2500:1) have been used for the campaign.

• These projectors were programmed to beam holographic images of high quality across 100 locations from all over the country.

• The whole technology initiative was consulted, designed and executed in 3D by the British Hologram leader Musion Das who employed advanced hologram technology to beam the election addresses using their proprietary Eyeliner system.

• Speeches were filmed at a studio in Ahmedabad and broadcast live via a satellite uplink to fixed or mobile stages that measured 30x30 feet.

• The 3D lifelike holographic-type displays of the politician was projected at each location using a Christie projector mounted high above the stage to stream visuals to the bounce screen that reflects the image on the stage. The stage holds the Eyeliner screen which is made of a unique and patented film that delivers the 3D illusion.

• These images are actually beamed back to BJP headquarters where the party’s think-tank watch to check what is being broadcast at any given time.

INDIA & ME NEWS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

It’s not just projectors and vans- the associated equipment to go with it is jaw-dropping: • Over 30,000 square meters of Musion patented holographic projection foil • 400 satellite dishes • 5500 meters of trusses • 1300 lights • 500 speakers; 200 mixers and power amps • 14000 meters of power and speaker cables All this, to cover a ground of 1.2 million square miles, and for an electorate of 814 million! “It’s not just ambitious. It is awesome show of campaign prowess,” said a top BJP functionary in Bangalore.

“It was aimed at driving message deep into the people’s mind as if the person was addressing them in real, from in front of them.”

The results were evidently impressive.

Highly realistic visuals became a hit with supporters throughout the campaign and voting period. Spectators at various rallies were understandably ‘ecstatic’ looking at the 40x40x35-foot holographic projections of Modi and hearing his speeches in high-fidelity audio feeling as if he was standing in front of them.

The poll results are today for everyone to wonder at. The BJP’s technology think-tank has apparently achieved which would not have been logically possible! The places for campaign were also chosen very wisely- those remote places they could never cover physically.

The poll results have re-written many scripts that symbolized the party and the country for decades.

Such an unprecedented initiative would not have happened without a challenge.

“Of course,” admits Rishubh Nayar, Senior Sales Manager-Business Products Division, (SAARC), at Christie. “This was a once in a lifetime event and with it came its own challenges,” he vouches.

“The biggest one was to ensure that the projectors gave a uniform and life-like image of Mr. Modi, in perfect alignment with the programme devised by Musionacross all 100-plus locations on any day.”

Christie’s job was not just that of a projector supplier. “Our job was to ensure no downtime; in the event of any failure, there was no time for the projector to be sent to the service center for repair, if the show was about four hours away,” Rishubh recalls, “so we had critical spare parts stocked to ensure that there was no downtime.”

While the projection major had stationed a team of engineers in Ahmedabad to monitor all the projectionists across all the locations, Rishubh himself had to cover a huge ground for ensuring no shortcoming would hamper the programme. “Thanks to the ruggedness and stability of our machines, we did not require any service and across all the shows there was not even a single failure,” says a satisfied, but a bit exhausted Rishubh.

Engineered to produce unbelievably bright images with stunning detail and depth of colour, the Christie Roadster Series delivers pure power with purpose-built features. Designed with built-in handles, an improved airflow system and multiple rigging points, these powerhouse projectors stack up against the rigours and stress of rental/ staging, making them the ideal choice for deployment during this staggering electoral campaign.

These compact HD DLP projectors with variable contrast ratio of 1600–2500:1 come with high-quality optics and 10-bit image processing, deliver crisp, clean images with spectacular video. Coupled with other benefits such as low cost of operation and ease of use, reliability and durability make them ideal for immersive visual experiences.

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“We’re honoured to be part of the excitement during the Indian General Elections where so many of our projectors are deployed at such a grand scale for the first time in India by one of the major political parties for its enormous electoral campaign,” said Ken Wheatley, director of sales, Christie Asia Pacific. “We’re pleased that the systems are innovatively used to showcase how the power of advanced visual technologies can bring people together to create and share experiences.”

Says Giovanni Palma, Director, Musion Das Hologram Ltd: “We chose to partner with Christie on Shri Narendra Modi’s 2014 election project due to their market-leading levels of performance, service and reliability. With 200 event teams clocking up tens of thousands of miles throughout the 45-day election, Christie’s Roadster HD14K and HD20K projectors are the perfect choice offering excellent performance with the robust reliability needed,” said “The combination of Musion Das Hologram products for holographic systems and Christie’s projectors delivers a stunning level of clarity that was amazing millions of people each night of the campaign.”

Rajesh Patkar, Deputy General Manager, Christie India sums up: “Christie brand has been firmly established in India over the years following several successful projects such as the recent Lusofonia Games and Gujarat Assembly election campaigns in 2012. We’re happy and proud that Christie solutions have been once again selected for India’s General Elections and I’m confident that our solutions will meet the needs of everyone who use them.”

That such a massive extent of AV technology has come into such a largerthan-life manifestation in public life, there is huge belief that this may auger good days for the cause of AV in the country. One hopes it comes true. www.christiedigital.com

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INDIA & ME NEWS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Drita installs video wall at Ratlam DRM Office Mumbai-based systems integrator and turnkey solutions provider Drita Technologies, has recently installed 46inch direct backlight, Full HD videowall display and Drita Display Controller DT-4000 series for Train Power Power Management Project at the Divisional Railway Manager (Western Railways) at Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh.

The video wall installation helped the railway staff at the DRM office better

monitor the train traffic stream, take validated decisions in demanding situations, and analyse the relevant data with a better operational efficiency.

One of the busiest routes in the region, when the Ratlam DRM office felt the need for a better traffic monitoring solution, they looked around for a suitable solution provider who could provide a video wall solution that is both economic and effective. Drita having already established their credentials

in the domain, proposed to install the full HD video wall packaged with the Drita Display Controller that presented clear and crisp images and data of the train movement. The 46-inch direct backlight full HD video wall, though a rare phenomenon for such projects, was thus installed much to the operational efficiency of the site. www.drita.in

Triolion Tech partners with Drita Technology Shanghai-based video wall solutions manufacturer Triolion Technology Co Ltd has announced its partnership with Mumbai-based Drita Technologies Private Limited a System Integration company from India. Triolion Technologies manufactures a wide variety of products and system solutions such as visual display units like DLP cube videowall, LCD/LED video wall, Large Format Display, multi-screen videowall controllers, matrix switchers and related digital signage software, while Drita Technologies which provides visualization solutions across a variety of industries ranging from traffic and transport, telecommunication and data centers, AV / digital signage / broadcasting, virtual reality and simulation, digital cinema, power plants, defense, aerospace, media and entertainment, government infrastructure projects. The partnership aims at bringing complimentary strengths of both companies together

for a powerful Control Room solution in Indian AV market.

Drita is led by Managing Director Dheeraj Guha who brings strong Control Room videowall domain expertise to the company which he set up in 2013.

Having served Eyevis India as Project Head for five years, before founding his own concern, Guha played instrumental in setting up prestigious Control Room projects at T2 Terminal Control Room, Monorail Control Room and many power distribution projects.

With a comprehensive sales and technical team supporting the company, Drita has executed few critical government projects with installation of DT 4000 Series Multi Screen Controller. Together with his Sales and Marketing Director Mustafa Hararwala, Dheeraj intends to take the company through bigger strides of excellence. The company intends

introduce Triolion’s 24x7 mission-critical videowall solutions to Indian market through their partnership.

Besides, it can also provide the best solution for almost all environments including for conference rooms, control rooms, monitoring centers, commanding and dispatching centers, etc.

This strategic partnership is aimed at introducing new products to Indian AV market and contributing towards value adding the industry’s strengths . www.triolion-india.com

Atlona appoints Thorsten Goecke as Director of Business Development for EMEA Atlona announced the appointment of Thorsten Goecke as Director of Business Development for the company's EMEA commercial division.

"Thorsten brings extensive experience in sales and business

development to Atlona, as well as key distributor relationships and a rich background in commercial AV connectivity deployments," said Matt Bute, Atlona's director of global sales.

Prior to joining Atlona, Goecke was EMEA channel sales director for Icron Technologies. He also previously served as managing director for Gefen Distribution

GmbH in the European pro-AV market and sales manager for SDI GmbH. "I'm looking forward to taking on the challenge of expanding our partner network throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa — all of which present exciting opportunities and potential for Atlona solutions," Goecke commented. www.atlona.com

INDIA & ME NEWS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

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Authorized Harman Service Centre in Bangalore spare parts, this new service centre is immediately operational and will support customers of all Harman Professional brands including AKG, BSS Audio, Crown, dbx, JBL, Lexicon, Soundcraft and Martin Professional range of lighting & video equipment.

Expanding its service network further in the region, Harman Professional India opened Harman Authorized Service Centre (AHSC) in Bengaluru. The new service centre was inaugurated by Blake Augsburger, Harman Executive Vice-President and President-Harman Professional Division, who highlighted the new facility as evidence of Harman Professional’s strong commitment to service and support and its determination to ‘being closer to the customer.’

Staffed by highly trained technical personnel, equipped with the most advanced diagnostic and repair tools and featuring a robust inventory of

The current Harman owned Service Centre in Bangalore will henceforth perform the role of Center of Excellence (COE). The Centre will focus to enhance Harman’s service delivery by providing technical service trainings for the on-ground team thereby helping them tackle issues such as critical troubleshooting of products, seamless spare part flow, monitoring performance level of the service network and ensuring higher level of customer satisfaction.

Sinon Services, recognized for its strong experience in servicing leading brands in consumer electronics and professional AV, has been appointed as operating partner for the new Bangalore AHSC. Located at Kammanahalli with easy

accessibility to the Central Business District and in close proximity to key customers in the city, the 1400 sqft service centre will provide after sales support to both, walk-in and on-site customers.

Commenting on the opening, Blake Augsburger noted, “across the globe, Harman Professional’s mission is not simply to build the most useful, reliable and innovative AV systems but also to be an organization that is very easy to work with. The opening of this new authorized service centre in Bangalore is an extension of our global strategy, is an act of confidence in our systems and a show of commitment to our customers in this region.”

“Our primary aim is to provide easy access to our walk-in customers, where one can not only purchase spare parts and accessories for their range of Harman products, but can now ‘pick up & drop off’ products while carrying out repair activities,” said Prashant Govindan, Director –India Operations, Harman. “We look forward to further expanding our footprint in India through our expansive dealer and channel partner network.” www.harman.com

15 brands 150 resellers 1500 installers 15000 products 1 stop Clique shop Switching Interface Routing

Visit us @ www.cliqueav-india.com

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INDIA & ME NEWS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

QUICK TAKE

Clique AV! Signal your pick, route your order An AV online portal of a new kind Our website has Audio-Visual specific categories like Distribution Amplifiers, Extenders, Switchers, Cables, etc. and within these categories lie different variants for each category with option of filtering the products.

Siddharth Kannan, Founder CEO of Clique-AV

Prasad Indulkar, Consultant, Tattva

Clique-AV, the new AV business entity, offers signal management and routing gear online, just like any e-business portal. But what’s significant is that now the industry can trade online on these ‘connecting links’ which had been missing all the while. SIA promptly seeks to present what the proposition is all about with Siddharth Kannan, Founder CEO of Clique-AV, USA and www.cliqueavindia.com, along with his consultant Prasad Indulkar of Tattva.

What is the purpose and genesis of Clique AV? Clique AV, is a direct representative of various manufacturers of signal management solutions. It’s role broadens from that of a mere representative to that of a facilitator, consultant and troubleshooter.

Clique AV, USA has been offering solution to its client in South America and was looking to expand their operations in India with a unique value proposition. We hired a consultant to study the business potential and the customer psyche in India, thus the thought of a B2B and B2C Online portal.

How does it work?

Clique AV is similar to any online trading portal like e-bay or flipkart, however, being in AV industry, the focus is primarily on signal management solution catering to end-users and system integrators in India.

Clique AV doesn’t cater to every aspect of AV industry but is focused on the Integral Part of AV solutions which is Switching and Routing.

How does the initiative benefit the AV buyer in the first place; and second, how does it benefit Clique AV? Our portal acts as a place to look and compare multiple brands and their various products for any AV buyer.

On-line pricing becomes a ready reckoner for any type of user. This is the biggest benefit for an AV buyer where a comparison can be done based on specification as well as Price.

An AV buyer who wants to buy a particular model number of a brand can simply enter our website, place an order & choose the shipping method and make payment and it is done. They don’t need to make any phone calls to check on what the pricing is and whether it is available in stock or not. All these information is available at a clique of a mouse for an AV buyer which is convenience.

This initiative expands our reach to various locations in India, which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

What exactly is the business model?

It is a combination of a Distributor and e-commerce, having features like Technical Support, Pre-Sales & Post Sales Support, System Design assistance, etc. have been incorporated from the Distribution model. Features like Accessibility to Price & Availability, Ease of Ordering, Alternate Brand Option, etc. have been incorporated from the E-commerce model.

Don’t you think having pricing online would affect the existing Distributors & System Integrators as the Price is open to end-users as well?

This is a good question. While coming up with this model, I wanted to ensure the Price Protection that Manufactures are providing to their Distribution & Dealers.

Learning from how Manufactures deal with pricing as far as a Distributor or Dealer or an End-user is concerned, we have come up with a similar model. The pricing that everyone can see on the website is the MSRP pricing (End-User pricing). In order to get a Dealer pricing, one has to register on our website.

Registration will take anywhere between 24-48 hrs as we will do a thorough research on the company on whether they are a genuine System Integrator or a Reseller. Once they qualify we provide a Username and Password, unique to the company.

This ensures that even though the person leaves the company and joins another company, he/she would have to reapply for registration. This should take care of interest of Distributors & Dealers.

All said and done, Indian industry is still way away from this sort of online purchases or deals. It still prefers a physical verification to virtual. How would you promote your cause?

We are aware of the fact on resistance of online purchases or deals, and that’s why branding is important. All of us have direct or indirectly purchased online and will continue to do so. Clique AV is just an extension of the habit, since we understand AV better than e-bay or flipkart.

Our pricing is competitive, brands can be compared against one another, signal management is our forte and we know our customers. www.cliqueav-india.com

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INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS SSystems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Weaving AV collaboration into Space Research VSSC takes AV in its stride; Godrej AV takes the honour

By Ram Bhavanashi often made during meetings, and via conferencing, both audio and video.”

‘Space’ for thought

With three projects coming to function under one roof, regular meeting/ conferencing by sophisticated interactive means had become more indispensable than ever. The complex thus required an expansive, scalable audio-visual systems integration. Considering the scale of requirement for the large establishment that the Project Complex is, and also the kind of ‘protected environment’ that surrounds the sprawling campus, it was both prestigious and challenging for any solution provider.

Project Director’s Conference hall

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) – the premier and leading facility of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) – is known for its R&D strengths in developing rockets and space vehicles for India’s space programme.

Located at Thumba, on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, in the Southern State of Kerala, The Department of Space, Government of India-owned space centre has been the backbone of the country’s space initiatives for over half-a-century. In line with its pursuits to ‘launch’ the country into space research excellence the VSSC had harnessed audio-visual technology integration. While it is not a very recent phenomenon, SIA recently had a rare privilege to watch in awe the AV side of this ‘protected security-sensitive establishment.’ We dutifully present an account…

For most Indians, and even those from outside but familiar with space research programmes in trans-Asia, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre doesn’t need an introduction. Originally came into being in end 1963 as Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), but named eight years later after Dr. Vikram Sarabhai – regarded as Father of India’s

space programme – VSSC saw the country’s space research ambitions grow from seeding to fruition and ramify into many other associated initiatives aimed at bringing space science to the benefit of the country’s citizenry.

One of the most ambitious initiatives of the premier space centre in recent times has been the creation of a new Project Complex that housed all its three projects – PSLV, GSLV, and the GSLVMark-III – even as it began making its strides more aggressively towards the last, and the country’s most powerful rocket to date- the Mk-III. The new Project Complex that came up on the 74-acre VSSC campus thus required a state-of-the-art, scalable communication infrastructure that could meet its increasingly growing needs.

“Space programme is such a meeting and communication intensive activity that it is practically an indispensable part of work,” says KK Dayal, Project ManagerPM & B, Mk-III at the VSSC. “It is a multidisciplinary activity, requiring regular, and often intense interactions among different departments with diverse functions,” he explains, “virtually, no job can be done without meetings with other departments; most critical decisions are

VSSC itself having handled several projects of sensitive nature, had its own teams designing the structure and texture of the Project Complex, and then scouted for a capable AV solution provider. A thorough market scan, followed by evaluation of vendors, and due diligence brought Godrej AV Solutions – the AV solutions business unit of the Godrej Group – onboard.

The Mumbai-headquartered system integrator put its regional install teams on the prideful job.

“It is one of the most challenging missions of VSSC,” says Sooraj K Paul, Branch Head-Kerala at Godrej AV Solutions, who was involved with the project from day one. “When the project was being conceived there was a clear need for multiple decision-making centres to function seamlessly towards achieving the mission objective,” he explains. The very nature and scale of the project demanded a very sophisticated technology solution that is also simple and friendly at the user level.

Though the project was nevertheless to be headed by highly informed and tech-savvy space scientists, who wouldn’t settle with anything less than the most advanced, it had to be user-friendly as one of its main spec.

According to the Godrej AV executive, there were a total of 14 conference

INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014 rooms that were to be equipped with multiple conferencing set-ups within the same complex. More, the AV set-up had to integrate recording and control functions along with conferencing and resource sharing. It, of course, went without saying that the solution also had to be cost-effective.

Spacing the mandate…

The SI, while devising the solution, thus had to factor for: • Easy usability • Redundancy • Resource sharing & Room combination • Scalability • Future technology upgrading “We have essentially employed a 16 x 16 Matrix switcher from Crestron with an ultrawide band resolution support, and a High Definition switcher from Polycom for the main audio and video routing,” explains Sooraj. “Every room had been integrated with Crestron touch panel and Crestron lighting solution considering the mandate for high usability and energy efficiency,” he elaborates. “While the tasks of resource management and reservation had been addressed by Room Scheduling and Remote Monitor, a central Control Room had been integrated for seamless audio-video and control switching functions with a central help and monitor room.”

“Except for the ‘protected nature’ of the campus and the install sites, and some structural aspects, there weren’t any major concern or challenge,” vouches the integrator. “Re-assuring trust and support from the client at every stage and aspect the install playing central to our efforts there, we went about executing the job as per the mandate and satisfaction of the End User.”

The very entrance to the Project Complex greets the visitors with a 65inch Panasonic TH-65PF11WK display panel streaming videos and other images relating to the project and its initiatives.

The ambience also features six JBL 24CT microplus ceiling speakers aimed at functioning as PA system as well as background music if needed, and are powered by a Crown 1160 MA mixer amplifier. A Crestron TPS 27L interactive touch panel has also been roped into the install here, perhaps to accentuate the AV functionality depending upon the requirement.

The Main Conference Halls (Ground & First Floor)

The main Conference Halls for one pose a very eye-pleasing aesthetics with a fine blend of interior finishes and accentuating colour themes as well as provisions for fitting the AV gear.

Playing into the tune of aesthetic AV,

The install spaces: Identical pairs

The installation essentially comprised four identical pairs: Main Conference Hall in ground floor and first floor; Project Director’s Conference Hall in first floor and second floor; video-conferencing hall in first floor and second floor; and Discussion Rooms in first floor and second floor. In addition, three identical Project Director’s rooms – one each in ground, first and second floor – besides the Entrance foyer and Control Room have also been equipped with AV gear.

“The idea was to have seamless integration of all the essential spaces concerned with the required communication infrastructure,” explains the project manager.

Main Conference hall 1st floor

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the SI chose for the audio capture 13 units of Crown PCC 170 SW low-profile boundary layer table microphones that are powered by one each of Crown CTS 8200 AE multi-channel amp and XLS 602E 14D stereo power amp.

Augmenting this function are one pair each of WMS 40 Presentor wireless collar microphone and WMS 4500 ProVocal wireless handheld microphone from AKG. Handing the audio reproduction tasks are eight units of JBL Control 24CT ceiling speakers and four units of JBL Control 25AV wall-mount speakers that are complemented by one each of JBL Control SB 210 sub and JBL MTS 210-SAT passive subwoofer satellite crossover module. One each of Polycom SoundStructure C8 and C16 automatic microphone mixer does the mixing job for the audio. Chipping into action is one Extron PA300 distribution amplifier. A Pioneer 310 S DVD player augments the electronic jobs.

The display part is addressed by a 150inch diagonal draper screen aligning the wall facing the chair, and is seconded by a 65-inch Panasonic TH65PF11WK plasma just behind. Complementing the display job is one each of ELMO P100 document camera, and Usyinc Penstar table monitor.

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INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014 CP/S PTZ cameras, with two cameras fixed on the side walls on either side while one is installed below the 65-inch TH65PF11WK Panasonic display panel facing the chair.

The hall doesn’t feature wall-mount speakers but only eight numbers of JBL Control 24CT ceiling speakers.

Interestingly, there are as many as eight fliptop laptop points by Crestron.

The VC hall on second floor differs from that of the first floor just by means of three Sony EVI-D100PTZ PAL cameras (instead of CP/S cameras).

Video conference hall 1st floor

Capturing images and video are entrusted to a Sony EVI-D 100 PTZ camera while projecting the same onto the screen is tasked to a 4000-lumen Panasonic PTD 4000 DLP projector. The oval shaped conferencing table is also equipped with five Extron fliptop points for connecting laptops for presentation etc.

While the Conference Hall on the first floor is quite identical to that on the ground floor in both shape and generic specs, owing to its size and increased functions, it slightly differs with regard to some AV gear. The wireless microphone tasks here are taken by a pair each of AKG SR4500 collar microphones and SR40Flex handheld microphones. There are as many as five 65-inch Panasonic TH65PF11WK plasmas in the hall with two each on both the sides while one fixed behind the Draper screen.

The hall also features as many as five Vaddio-EVI-D100 CP/S PTZ cameras installed on both the side walls and facing wall- to be able to capture images and proceedings video from different angles and sections of participants. The fliptop laptop points are by Crestron, and IR Probes by the same manufacturer is more by one number.

boundary microphones tasked to capture the audio proceedings, while seven units of JBL Control 24CT ceiling speakers does the speech reproduction. The display part comprises of one 65-inch Panasonic TH65PF11WK plasma; a 120-inch Draper screen, one P100 Elmo document camera, and Usync’s Penstar table monitor. A Sony EVI-D100CP/S does the video capture job while the video projection function is entrusted to a Panasonic PTD4000 projection system. The electronics jobs are done by one each of Crown CTS8200 multi-channel amplifier, and Pioneer DV 310 S DVD player.

Video-Conferencing Halls (I & II floor)

The VC halls though generically identical in specs with those of the main conferencing halls, they differ with slight variations in size, shape, décor and specs. Essentially, the VC Hall on first floor features three Sony EVI-D100

PD’s Conference Halls (I & II Floors)

Identical in size, shape and specs, the Project Director’s Conference Halls feature two pairs each of AKG SR4500 wireless collar microphone, and SR40Flex wireless handheld microphone, besides the 13 units of Crown PCC170SW table-top

Project Director’s Conference hall

Discussion Rooms

The two Discussion Rooms on first and second floor are identical in shape, size and specs. They essentially feature the 65-inch Panasonic TH-65PF11WK display, and four JBL Control 24 CT ceiling speakers that are powered by a Crown 1160MA-E14 mixer amplifier, one Crestron QM-RMCRX-BA Media Receiver Control, and one fliptop laptop point with controls, besides a Pioneer DV310S DVD player.

Project Director’s Rooms

The three PD’s Rooms on the other hand, though again identical to one another, feature a Crown PCC170 SWO low-profile boundary microphone, and a Sony EVI-D100CP/S2 camera, a Polycom Vortex EF2211 audio mixer, and a Crestron TPMC-4Xg touch panel, besides the regular Panasonic 65-inch display. They also feature an Extron PA300 distribution amplifier.

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Protected Challenges

That the VSSC itself is a protected, security-sensitive establishment, the protocol clearance related challenges were bound to be there. However, what perhaps, made it more frustrating was it being the first time for the client, and their not having any precedent to follow.

“It was the first time that we have gone for AV systems integration,” explains Dayal. “What might have been the most common, or seasoned activity for most in the industry was new to us,” he reasons.

“VSSC being a Government, and more importantly protected environment, there are many protocol processes which had to be complied even for a minor job.”

FACTFILE

Project Name: VSSC Project Complex Project Location: Thumba Thiruvananthapuram Project Segment: Government – Department of Space Project Install Type: Audio Video Installation of Conference rooms Project Owner(s): Government of India, Department of Space AV Project Commencement: 5 April 2010

According to him, it was a big balancing act for them to handle both their professional jobs, and the AV facilitating simultaneously. “Many times, we had to vacate our meeting space to allow integration work,” he recalls, “we often had to do our deliberations right adjacent to the noisy integration work.”

For the SI, the protocol hassles apart, that the install site was fully done in structure by the time they were in, did pose some challenges. That they were not supposed to disturb the already finished interiors “it caused some hiccups in terms of pushing the cables in, or fixing a ceiling or wall-mount speaker,”

AV Project Commissioned: 8 August 2010 AV Project Cost: INR 4 Crore (Approx. 600,000 USD) Architects & Interior Designers: Civil Department of ISRO AV design consultant(s) – VSSC in-house design team Lighting consultants: VSSC in-house design team

explains Renjith SS, senior manager with Godrej AV, who was deeply involved with the project. “It was, however, a very satisfying job for us,” say Sooraj and Renjith, “we are happy that we lived up to the expectations of the client.”

It’s a happy note for Dayal too. “The support we have been getting from the SI is just too good,” he says, “not only they did a good work, but they have also been backing it up every time we needed. That is quite admirable.” www.godrejavsolutions.com www.vssc.gov.in

Project management consultants: VSSC in-house PM team System Integrators: Godrej AV Solutions Install contractors: Godrej AV Solutions Install highlight: Room-sharing, resource planning & scalability

Binding space initiatives through AV The massive AV integration at VSSC Project Complex has one person’s steely resolve and perseverance behind its making- KK Dayal, Project Manager-PM & B, Mk-III. SIA interacted with Dayal to capture some deeper insights. Excerpts:

SIAsia: The install appears pretty ambitious with as many as 14 facilities of AV and multiple pairs of conferencing set-ups. Any particular reason for this expansive measure?

Dayal: VSSC, as you know, is the country’s premier space transportation system development base. It has three different projects – PSLV, GSLV and GSLV Mark-III – operating on its campus. For many years, they were running as separate entities which posed certain critical challenges. For better coordination and more operational

efficiency, we had wanted to bring them under one roof. That’s exactly how the present project complex had come about, housing all the three project divisions. That’s one.

SIAsia: Such a massive installation must have had some challenges. Would you please elaborate?

On the other hand, space programme is such a meeting and communication intensive activity that it is practically an indispensable part of work. That it is a multi-disciplinary activity, while there are virtually no jobs that can be done without meetings with other departments, most critical decisions are often made during meetings and via conferencing, both audio and video.

Dayal: This is the first time we have gone for AV systems integration.

Understandably we do not have any precedent to follow; everything is new.

What may be the most common, or seasoned activity for most in the industry is new to us. VSSC being a Government, and more importantly security-sensitive protected environment, there are many protocol processes which had to be complied even for a minor job. That was one.

With three projects moving to under one roof, the requirement for regular intense meeting/conferencing had become more indispensable than ever. It was to meet this massive requirement we decided to have such an extensive AVSI.

Like I said, ours is a meeting-intensive job, and most jobs cannot be held back or delayed due to the very nature of the job. On the other hand, having taken up the time-bound programme of AV integration, we cannot ask the integrator

INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

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to wait till we are through with our meetings. So, it’s a tough, if not great, balancing act. Many times, we had to vacate our meeting space to allow the integration work, and we often had to have our deliberations right adjacent to the noisy integration work.

At my personal level, as most financial approvals were to happen through me, I had tough times balancing both.

SIAsia: How did you address them?

Dayal: Pursuance, and perseverance and a great deal of convincing act. I had to explain to the management at every level about the benefits of investing in communication technology; savings on time and money; ease of interaction and networking and many more like that.

Every time we needed to converse with other ISRO teams, we either had to go to Bangalore, or hire a new place which involved intense costs. Now that we have our own facility, the savings on time and money are quite tangible. We’ve been using these facilities for roughly four years now; but have achieved breakeven in just two years.

SIAsia: Have there been any critical changes in the install specs from the time of freezing to commissioning?

Dayal: Actually, from the time we conceived the idea and placed the purchase order, some critical models got replaced by other models. So, that resulted in repeated review, or respecifying. Otherwise, nothing.

SIAsia: Now that the Project Complex has multiple numbers of AV set-ups. What according to you is the best part of them?

Dayal: The Room sharing pattern. We didn’t want to duplicate any space from any other, so every room has its own.

This provided for sharing the rooms for diverse purposes, allowing for saving costs and time.

The other is redundancy. Considering the nature of the work on the project, no single task was supposed to get

Project Director’s Conference hall

interrupted due to some snag. So, we spec’d the systems to have a redundant system in place so that in the event of any device system not functioning, the redundant one gets into work mode automatically. There are, however, some areas where manual intervention is required.

SIAsia: It's been quite some time that you have been using it. What is your experience?

Dayal: Like I said, we achieved breakeven in just two years of our commissioning the facility. That itself shows our experience, and that success is largely due to the good install work done by the SI, and more their support from time to time. That is certainly a mark of our appreciation for the SI. We haven’t done anything for fancy or pride. It’s all purely functional; so our functions are being addressed by the system. That’s fulfilling experience.

SIAsia: Are there any areas in the installation where you felt it was a compromise, and you could have done better?

Dayal: Our’s being a government institution, we do not have scope for brand promotional measures like grand and aesthetic ambiences. I wish we had that opportunity so that we could have done something to improvise the aesthetics of the facilities.

SIAsia: Are there any expansion plans? if so, what exactly are they?

Dayal: We have quite an expansive courtyard surrounded by the three project divisions. It can seat at least 3,000 people in one go. We want to develop that into a Common Assembly area where all our technical and admin staff can gather on grand occasions like successful space launches or a big national/international authority would address the gathering.

To be able to do that, we want to impart the space with impactful AV systems integration.

As a second phase of our AV initiatives, we have actually done a 500-seat auditorium very recently, where we made some good acoustic work. We want to make a similar effort in the Courtyard as well, and we are toying with the idea of some great LineArrays to handle the acoustic challenges of the huge space that it is.

We are in the final stages of the design, and we hope to place the purchase orders by the beginning of second half this year. On a normal course, we should be able to commission the facility by the end of the current fiscal as our third phase. www.vssc.gov.in

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INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS SSystems Integration Asia June - July 2014

IOCL Guwahati Refinery makes an AV refinement Ace Acoustics take the honour requirement, the IOCL executive felt very skeptical about this lead yielding any result. “Honestly, I didn’t believe it would work,” she recalls, “normally things would not happen this way.”

As it turned out, the electrical contractor connected the IOCL official with locallybased system integrator Ace Acoustics.

Thus came in Debabrat Duara, one of the three Directors at the system integration and design consultancy firm.

That the IOCL officials also knew only the functions to be performed but were sort of clueless about the means to achieve the same, Ace Acoustics had to play both design consultancy and integration.

The Indian oil sector, as it is, is one of the most dynamic corporate domains in the country. Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) – the largest among all oil PSUs – leads the segment by all its endeavours- by means of technology harnessing. One of the recent measures of this dynamism is creating a new admin block at the Guwahati Refinery with sophisticated audio-visual system integration. An SIA report…

When the top management at the IOCL Refinery’s Guwahati Division wanted to create a new administrative building towards meeting its growing requirements, it moved swiftly and took onboard consultants and contractors for designing and erecting a new furnished edifice on its premises.

Once the building was done, fully furnished, the senior management realized they needed a conferencing set-up that helps them converse with their headquarters in New Delhi, as well as to connect with other units of the oil behemoth in the country. Even as the building was being fine tuned with some final embellishments, they went about scouting for a solution provider

who could weave in a solution that gels well with the existing structure while at the same time performing the required conferencing functions.

“We didn’t want to go around the country in search of a solution provider, or how others did,” says Sita Baruah, Senior Manager-Maintenance at IOCL Refinery, Guwahati. “We felt that would be too big an act,” she said, adding, “we rather wanted to look for someone locally.”

They did, however, go around Guwahati to gain an understanding how others in town had it. They found one, after a long search, but weren’t successful in reaching out to the solution provider.

Searches across the web didn’t help either. “We were a bit desperate,” recalls Sita, “strangely, though, it happened the most improbable way.”

According to the Senior Manager, during one of the interactions with the electrical contractor, she shared her idea of having an AV solution provider, and the predicaments that hampered her pursuit. While the electrical contractor suggested his connecting a local SI with

“The client brief (as per the tender for us), was to design, supply, install, test, and commission the audiovisual and conferencing system, for IOCL Guwahati (Refinery) Division’s new Admin building,” explains Debabrat. “In essence, they wanted a good quality audio visual system, that is technologically sophisticated, aesthetically pleasing, operationally user-friendly, and reliable while being maintenance free.”

According to the Ace Director, while the specs of the brief weren’t a challenge at all since they have been used to get more or less the same everywhere, the execution of the specs did pose a set of structural challenges. That by the time they got the job, the building and install venue were fully structurally completed, and they were instructed not to disturb any of the interior design surfaces, they had a tough time integrating the system.

“It was admittedly quite a bit of a challenge,” says Debabrat. “That we were not allowed to disturb any of the interior surface, pushing in cabling was a challenging task,” he explains. It was such a sensitive job that for a cabling of two meters, it took six to seven hours, for a simple reason that interior finishes could not be tampered with. “We had to make minute holes at the bottom and

INDIA & ME INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014 microphones from Harman-Crown that are packaged with noiseless on/off switch, 3-pin XLR connector for table top applications and optimized speech.

Sita Baruah, Senior Manager-Maintenance at IOCL Refinery, Guwahati

top, push and pull the cable through, and then seal off the holes,” he explains.

Accentuating, not complicating the aesthetics was another spec call, the integrator preferred using boundary microphones to roping in the otherwise conventional goosenecks.

The 31-seater rectangular hall – treated with aesthetically pleasing veneer and wooden finishes, in combination with intelligent usage of glass and blinds allowing for natural and diffused lighting – poses an appealing look.

Understandably, that’s the reason the integrator was asked not to tamper with the interior finishes.

The Integration – An AV Intelligence Challenges notwithstanding, it went without saying that the install had to be state-of-the-art while at the same time being cost-effective. The client initially thought of having one mic for two speakers, but considering the nature of the install it wasn’t possible. Goosenecks would have been a solution since they could be turned around, but since the SI chose boundary microphones it required one-each for the members. The 31-seater conference room, thus was suggested to have 31 microphones.

Audio: The audio solution thus comprised, essentially, 31 units of low profile PCC 130 SW boundary

The audio, however, did have a gooseneck on the podium- the GN 50 ESP from AKG that is again packaged with push to talk or mute switch, LED ring and XLR connector. One BSS Blue-101 conferencing signal processor is installed with 12 EEC algorithms. It does bring an analog mic input and eight outputs with fault tolerance.

Complementing the job are three more BSS Blue BIBs (break-in-box) with 8-channel analog, fault-tolerant bus and switchable Phantom Power panel.

The audio reproduction task is entrusted to eight JBL Control 8128 ceiling speakers that are powered by a Crown CTS-875 eight-channel amp.

Video: The video component, though not integrated by Ace Acoustics, includes a medium-through, ceilingmounted projector, and a large Draper screen facing the chair. Complementing the video tasks is a WACOM DTU 1631 interactive touch-screen pen display fixed with the podium facilitating laptop presentations like PPTs, multimedia and other graphics. One MG-01 Magnum table-embedded Pop-Up manager is also roped in with computer audio and video graphics, besides Ethernet port.

One Kramer VP-61XL switcher is configured to handle stereo audio, and video graphics with six inputs and one output. More, the importance of the Kramer switcher here, according to the integrator is that it can handle five table pop-up units which provide audio, video, and power from five different locations- anyone can be selected from the switcher and routed to projection.

Says Debabrat: “That we did not do the projection, we were saved from opening up the ceiling. However, we had to make some minor touches to the ceiling to install speakers.” The unique feature of the install, according to the SI, however, was the ‘Mix-Match’ technology wherein if a speaker begins to speak (into a

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microphone), the loudspeaker overhead in the ceiling goes off- giving a pleasing speech intelligibility.

Another feature of this relatively small installation is that it doesn’t have a UPS back-up; it is powered by a captive power plant located on the IOCL premises. That the very nature of the IOCL Refinery demands a captive power plant, the same power is drawn to drive the Admin building, and the AV facility too.

Ace Acoustics being also a distributor of Harman and Kramer, has understandably roped in brands from both the AV majors. Sita Baruah, while being pretty much happy with the way the AVSI integration turned out, sounds modest when she says they have not been able to leverage the facility fully since most of their ranks are not yet fully into it.

However, she is happy about possessing a good technology integration, and she hopes to take optimum benefit from it as they move to the next phase. www.aceacoustics.com

THE PROJECT FACT FILE: Project: Audio-visual system integration at IOCL Refinery, Guwahati Division Project owner: IOCL Refinery, Guwahati Division Project location: Guwahati Project segment: Oil, Public Sector Undertaking Project type: Design, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning, of audio-visual and conferencing system, for new IOCL Guwahati Division’s new Admin building Install type: AV conferencing system integration AV project commencement: Feb. 2013 AV project completion: March 2013 AV Design Consultancy: Ace Acoustics AV System Integration: Ace Acousitcs AV SI contractors: Ace Acoustics

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Tata Sky channelizes through new video wall Barco, Ideal Broadcast share honours In the current times of technologyentertainment, managing and monitoring the streaming entertainment is as important as producing it, if not more.

It is indispensable for the entertainment producers, particularly for those in the broadcast segment, to constantly monitor if the produced entertainment streams off smoothly and in the same quality as it is produced- which is why most operators invest in time and money for the objective. Demonstrating the same need, Tata Sky, India’s premier direct-to-home (DTH) entertainment provider recently set-up a Control Room, with a mission-critical video wall to help it monitor the quality of its DTH services.

Visual solutions major Barco and Delhibased SI Ideal Broadcasting Pvt. Ltd. worked in tandem with the End User to weave in the solution. An SIA snapshot: When it comes to watching the latest TV soap opera series and / or hot off the block movies in the highest possible quality right from the comfort of one’s

own couch, most television watchers tune in to direct-to-home satellite television service. While there are a few prestigious names that hover the sky, one that is more of a household name than of a business proposition is Tata Sky. Taking to the skies in 2004 as a joint venture between Tata Sons – the holding company of India’s most celebrated corporate conglomerate, the Tata Group – and 21st Century Fox, Tata Sky has already revolutionized home entertainment in India with superior digital quality audio and video transmission 24/7.

In roughly ten years since inception, the operator has seen its number of subscribers rise to a staggering 18 million in January 2014. By offering a plentitude of channel options, interactive control options and optimized services, Tata Sky’s focus has been to ‘empower each viewer.’

To be able to do that the operator needed to have in place a system to clearly overview the transmission quality

of every single channel round-the-clock, and be able to intervene swiftly should there be an exigency.

With a view to better monitoring this critical function, the DTH operator has recently set-up on its New Delhi campus a sophisticated Control Room comprising a mission-critical LED video wall.

For one good reason, the operator did not have to do an intense market scan to get a capable solution provider, with its long-term, trusted solution provider being just like next door- the Delhibased visual solutions major Barco. From the very beginning, Tata Sky has relied on Barco technology. Since the time they came together earlier with CDG80 – the 80-inch dual lamp DLP video wall – which was though later upgraded to OVL-815, both the End User and the solution provider have been strongly bonded. That the OVL-815 video wall had recently been moved to Tata Sky’s Disaster Recovery site, the operator needed a new video wall to augment its

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“Every Barco product we’ve used thus far perfectly meets our expectations and requirements in terms of quality, ease-of-use and maintenance friendliness.”

-Yigit Reza, CTO, Tata Sky Limited expanding operations monitoring. “Since we’ve always been very satisfied with Barco, we decided to stick with them,” explains Yigit Reza, CTO at Tata Sky Ltd. “The OVL-815 solution is still doing a terrific job.”

Overcoming challenges

Coming onboard the project, Barco roped in its official partner for the region, Ideal Broadcasting Pvt. Ltd. to execute the install. However, before they got onto the drawing board and evolve the design for the same, they had to address a couple of potential challenges.

Tata Sky’s in-house design team working on an existing spec, evolved a design for a 10 x 3 NSL-5521 full HD LCD video wall with LED backlights, and a curve of 8º.That meant a huge video wall comprising 30 units of 55-inch LCD cubes, integrated into three rows of 10 cubes each, measuring a little over 45 feet, or roughly 14 meters diagonal! However, the space within the facility being very small, it posed a potential challenge.

They were faced with the challenge of either expanding the width, or rising the height of the ceiling and/or lowering the support base, and also reducing the curve. Says Tata Sky’s IT Department executive Tajinder Pal, who was part of the client’s install team,“That we could afford neither rising the ceiling nor lowering the support base further, we decided to amend the spec itself.”

The resulting amended design spec meant a wall of 9 x 4 NSL-5521 cubes with four rows of nine cubes each measuring roughly 41.2 feet or 12.5 meters diagonal and a curve of just 5º.

“We had no other choice but go for the amended design, as the space was too constraint to take the original spec,” explains Tajinder.

According to Pankaj Marwah, Business Development Manager at Barco, who oversaw the whole install, the challenge of space shortage was compounded by the time constraint as well, as they were

asked to complete and commission the wall within three months. “That was indeed a stiff challenge in its own right,” says Marwah. “That we had to change the originally evolved support mount from three rows to four and, reduce the width from ten to nine, it meant a lot of work.”

According to the Barco executive, the spec amend also meant increase in the number of cubes by six, which was a clear rise in costs, and that’s another challenge. With a view to cutting down the costs, Marwah – through the Ideal Broadcast team – scouted for a local fabrication of the support mount that could offset the additional costs of six cubes. “We had to do a lot more jobs other than being the solution provider,” quips Marwah, “like a PMC, like a coordinator, and like a fabricator too.” However, all that meant a friendly support to their long trusted client and valuing the relationship with them.

The new wall in place…

Having addressed the challenge, the install teams from Barco, Ideal Broadcasting and Tata Sky put in place the 9 x 4 NSL-5521 full HD LCD displays with LED backlights and a curve of 5º.

“Instead of going for the impossible structural changes, we opted for the wall spec changes with lower curve and width,” says Marwah. In order to get the

installation up and running before the timeline, three Barco engineers were posted to work in shifts. “We really liked their job approach,” admires Reza. “They were very knowledgeable and really focused on meeting our expectations.”

Apart from their high brightness, these displays are characterized by a narrow bezel, saving a lot of space while still offering a wide viewing angle.

Driving the video wall functionality is a preconfigured TransForm ECU-110 video wall control unit that is capable of processing 30 inputs and 36 outputs.

Having done the troubleshoot, the install teams commissioned the video wall within the agreed timeframe.

“Thanks to Barco’s user training and documentation, we have been able to use the solution smoothly ever since,” compliments the Tata Sky CTO. “We’re not surprised actually: every Barco product we’ve used thus far perfectly met our expectations and requirements in terms of quality, ease-of-use and maintenance-friendliness,” he goes on to add, “we are, once again, very pleased with the services they provided and look forward to working with Barco again in the future.” www.tatasky.com www.barco.com www.idealsys.com

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INDIA & ME INTERVIEW SSystems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Crafting a new conferencing niche

Hakan Tylen, President-Global Sales, Konftel

Audio conferencing has been, and, is a big thing in the global professional AV industry.

Particularly after the business enterprises have realized the imperativeness of business people to connect to one another from distant locations, and also to stay connected even while on the move. The complexities of travelling and traversing crowded cities have only added to the demand for sophisticated communication systems with multiple functions. Meeting such demand and crafting a niche of its kind is Konftel. The Swedish conferencing solutions major – having strongly established in Europe and the Americas – is now focusing on spreading to the Asia, particularly to India and China, besides the Middle East.

SIAsia interacted with Konftel’s President-Global Sales, Hakan Tylen, who visited India recently as part of its mission. Excerpts: SIAsia: What brings you to India? What particular mission?

Hakan: Konftel has initiated an expansion plan in Middle East, India and China and Southeast Asia region to provide our solutions to these markets.

As we have established ourselves in India with PS Tiwari, a well-known name in the AV Industry in India, being our local representative I’m here to support him, and meet current and potential future partners during the initiation of our presence here in the region.

SIAsia: Tell us about Konftel; its genesis; and evolution through the years; its current standing on the global stage…

Hakan: Konftel, as a company, started off in very humble fashion, like most IT companies per se in a garage! Sometime in 1988, it so happened that a bank manager in the northern Swedish city of Umea – who was in search of a perfect conferencing solution – asked an engineer whom he knew for some

time then if he could find a solution. The engineer he called then was merely one, who worked on to develop a solution of his own kind to an immaculate effect. The engineer soon turned to be Founder-CEO of Konftel, and thus the company was born. Having begun pretty humbly, it went from strength to strength, and within years it spread out with its roots from Sweden, first to Europe, then to the Americas, and then into the Asia Pacific. Last year, we sought growth with more emphasis - we recruited people in India and China.

INDIA & ME INTERVIEW Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014 Solutions wise, Konftel has developed its strengths in conferencing solutions for the industry particularly the audio visual and IP segments. The AV segment, generically seen, has been showing very encouraging signs of growth in the region; while the IP segment has been showing some truly incredible growth indicators in some segments, particularly the mobile conferencing through iPads, smartphones and such other apps that enable people to stay connected and converse even while they are on the move. So, we are actively moving into that space.

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"The 300 Series conferencing system is an integrated package of numerous cutting-edge tech features. It comes with IP; SIM card (i.e. mobile); analog; and wireless communication features with superlative quality."

Last year, we looked at some short-term growths in different regions, and have grown by 16 per cent globally, and we are currently looking to expand our footprint across the prospective markets, particularly the Asia Pacific.

SIAsia: There have been enterprises in this space before and after the emergence of Konftel.

What was so special for its setting-up? What exactly stimulated its formation as a professional solutions provider?

Hakan: That’s a nice one! As the industry progresses through the changing dynamics, the requirement of business leaders and executives have also been changing dynamically. Enterprises on one side have been focusing on cutting down the time consumption taken by travels they are willing to invest in solutions that help them converse without moving from one’s place, rather than travelling long and tiring distances. Here, the quality of interaction amongst people makes it all the more impacting on improving business prospects. The genesis of Konftel more or less has its roots in developing such enabling solutions.

On the other hand, business persons, while they are required to converse with one another for an important business decision, are struck up in airports, or other travelling spaces, for instance in traffic jams like those of Bangalore or Beijing. So, they require an effective conversing tool and solution that enables

them do business as usual. Konftel crafted a niche of its own in this domain with unique solutions.

SIAsia: Having taken the direction, what specific technology solutions has Konftel brought to the market? How did it impact the marketplace?

Hakan: Like I said just a while ago, Konftel has crafted a niche. Business enterprises normally would want to be either in high volumes area or the niche area. You don’t want to be in between.

I would define Konftel’s area as the niche - the audio conferencing area.

We have developed some really unique technology solutions and innovative products that defined our strengths and competencies as also the market areas.

You might be familiar with how the PC market evolved - from being large and heavyweight machine blocks of few decades ago, to the current lightweight, sleek, and portable iPads - addressing niche segments. Konftel’s appeal is something like that.

SIAsia: What’s been the single most impacting technology solution that Konftel has brought to market?

Hakan: We are currently seeing a shift in the market from large and many-seated conference halls and fixed installations to small and smart conference rooms - meaning fixed installs have been transforming into flexible and more personalized installs.

So, there is a paradigm shift from fixed to personalized solutions for diverse requirements. Konftel fits exactly into this requirement as its impact is precisely the development of those personalized conferencing solutions.

SIAsia: Would you tell us about any single product innovation in this direction?

Hakan: Yes, the 300 Series conferencing system will stand this exemplification. It is an integrated package of numerous cutting-edge tech features. It comes with IP; SIM card (i.e. mobile); analog; and wireless communication features with

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INDIA & ME INTERVIEW Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

superlative quality. That’s really taking us to the next level in applications, user-friendliness, reliability and design precision.

SIAsia: After the OmniSound development, Konftel hasn't come out with any such other innovation- any particular reason? or, is something better in the development?

Hakan: The OmniSound algorithm used in the latest product is the 4th generation of OmniSound platform since 2006, and the 5th is currently in development. In each platform we have increased performance and added important speech enhancement features. What we have seen is that customer demands have increased while the network environment has given us greater challenges. Ten years ago, it was almost exclusively analog connections, but today we work with VoIP, Bluetooth, DECT and GSM with all the challenges these applications bring. So, it’s indeed been some really incredible work that Konftel has been doing.

SIAsia: How many market geographies does Konftel has its presence in?

Hakan: Today, we have our offices and sales teams in over 80 countries across the globe; we are very well established in both the Americas, and almost whole of Europe where we have strong sales and operational teams. We have some strong partners in China, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and other major Asia-Pacific geographies.

SIAsia: What markets have been promising and what are challenging?

Hakan: Very good question! Every market presents with its unique culture, which can be both promising as well as challenging. So, from my perspective, that we haven’t been much into the much said markets of India and China, I believe both of them present us with huge opportunity. Compared to the Western world where diverse technology

tenets are considered to be taken rather easily, markets from the Eastern World possess unique cultures when it comes to technology takes. As it is, we are not pushing our products and systems aggressively into the market; we are putting a very humble approach to what we expect from countries like India, to be long-lasting and be represented in a good way in the market. It is a good thing to have a person like Tiwari who will do both sales and technology that will enable us to get a good foothold in this potential market.

over distance. The other one is that travel takes more and more of our time due to more people having the ability to move from one place to the other. To save time, and be more efficient in the global competition, companies need to provide their employees with tools to be able to have distance meetings. A third thing is of course also to save the environment as these types of meetings does not create any pollution and can be held almost from anywhere in our connected world.

SIAsia: Are there any plans for Konftel to set-up sales and service centre in India?

SIAsia: What direction do you see the global conferencing market heading towards in the next few years?

Hakan: Initially, we would want to have just a representative here through Tiwari, and see how it goes for us. As it is, the products that we are bringing to India are purely hardware, and there is no software involved here; they are just plug-n-play systems, and their return for repair have been less than one per cent, so the requirement for an after-sales support office is not our priority. Our focus is to interact with the customers and explain to them the benefits of the solutions to push sales.

Hakan: The global conferencing industry is estimated to grow double digit numbers over the coming years.

A technology shift from traditional analogue connections to VoIP solutions provided through different software enabled platforms like Microsoft Skype and Lync, Huwaei eSpace, Cisco Jabber and many other niched software platforms/vendors, have opened the industry for a need of personal devices combined with units designed for small and mid-sized meeting rooms.

SIAsia: Besides the fact of the niche market, what sets Konftel apart from the competition?

SIAsia: What is your view about Konftel's immediate future?

Hakan: Cutting-edge technology blended into innovative design, multiple functionalities, portability and price points- all contribute to Konftel’s niche market edge.

SIAsia: Moving onto global scene, what according to you is driving the global conferencing industry today?

Hakan: Global conferencing is driven from two major areas. First, being the change of human behaviour. More and more people are online and are getting used to interact through different access devices with friends and family already from early ages. This makes us being more open to use technology to interact

Hakan: Konftel is growing and gaining market share globally and we are very optimistic about the future. With our entry to Middle East, India and China, we have initiated opportunities for expanded adoption of our technology in these regions. We look forward to helping companies and individuals in these markets as well as existing and future entrances, to become more productive utilizing the abilities of great meeting and sound experiences, provided through our technology. www.konftel.com

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FROM THE OTHER SIDE SSystems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Right Sizing the Solution What exactly was the AV deployment at Quintiles? For what precise functionality?

It’s a ‘composition of various technologies’ integrated together to enable “Enterprise Collaboration” from diverse product vendors. Business requirement was to enable easy and better collaboration with internal and external customers using technology platform.

What was the vision for such a deployment?

Audio-Visual industry, like most other industry domains, revolves around its user communities, and their experiences - irrespective of the technology and / or marketing initiatives its manufacturing and supplychain networks bring to market from time to time.

The real value of technology – as SIAsia perceives it – comes from the End Users’ experience and appreciation of the same.

It is with this perspective, at the turn of the year 2014, we presented you with the first feature of the intended regular column- as shared by the CIO of Persistent Systems.

This time, we bring you the insightful views from yet another End User- Srikanth Katuri, Director and Head IT(India & Sri Lanka)-Global IT Infrastructure Services at Quintiles India, Bangalore.

Enterprise Collaboration was the key theme of the deployment. It was to enable interacting teams from across the globe communicate to one another in a very collaborative fashion; to augment one another’s work and to benefit from one another.

How has the deployment facilitated business communications or helped achieve objectives?

We have had some significant traction wherein geographically spread teams started to have highly interactive instant conversations over different media such as ‘chat,’ ‘audio,’ (IP telephony), and ‘video-’ evidently video being most pervasive. There have been some very perceptible and tangible benefits.

What kind of team(s) were taken onboard for AV deployment? PMC, consultant(s) for AV, acoustics, lighting, interior design etc. and SI?

It’s a very intricate process spread over few months from incubation to design to deployment. The process involved engaging different stakeholders from internal business, IT, sourcing and a larger set of system integrators.

What kind of procedural processes does Quintiles have in place for technology deployment - like technology evaluation, monitoring systems and their integration precision etc…

All technology deployments go through the due diligence process from concept to deployment. It does include preliminary vendor assessment and verification of the same if it is in alignment with the evaluation criteria.

As an End User - what is your biggest challenge with technology deploymentfinding the right team combination, technology, expertise to leverage systems, or budgets…

Generically said, it’s finding the right team combination. The most common link missing could be a proper systems integration proposition. It’s also about keeping the deployment within the budget.

As a Technology User what is the best part of the deployment in the facility?

Understandably, the Customer Experience Centre. The technology is leveraged in such a way that it provides an immersive experience to the users.

Innovative, at the same time, economic!

Customers feel they are seeing, if not getting, what they wanted.

As a Technology User - do you always explore the domain for a latest tech take? Or depend on the consultant/SI to suggest the latest…

It’s a combination of both. Ideally said, that’s the required mix for someone to be able to make an informed decision.

FROM THE OTHER SIDE Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Do your Task Teams demarcate between the “best” and “latest”?

We do demarcate the proposition based on the ‘requirement,’ and not simply going for the ‘best and latest’ for a mere fancy.

For a Technology User like you what's the most impressive technology today?

We feel it’s the ability to be part of a Video Conference from the mobile where we integrate enterprise technology with the “user on the move.” We think the format is already turning a very decisive factor in business communication technology deployment.

Which areas in your facility would you deploy a similar or higher technology?

We are exploring 2014! We will evaluate what technology would suit our requirement, and would embrace the same as and when we require.

As a member of the User Community- what's your take on good and bad about today's AV technology domain…

Difficult to say, for the simple fact that what’s good for someone may not be the same for the other and what proved effective in one situation may disprove the other, and vice-versa.

Having said that, a generic assumption can be to “use the right evaluation criterion to decide what is good for one’s enterprise. In other words, ‘right size the solution.’ Go with what is fit for purpose and good to have, than what is not fit for purpose but nice to have.’ Go with the pulse of the user.” www.quintiles.com

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Quintiles – Navigating new health

Quintiles Transnational – headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, USA – is the largest provider of biopharmaceutical development and commercial outsourcing services. With a network of over 28,000 employees conducting business in approximately 100 countries, the healthcare behemoth has helped develop or commercialize all of the top 50 best-selling drugs on the market. With extensive therapeutic, scientific and analytics expertise, the company helps biopharmaceutical and health sciences customers navigate the increasingly complex landscape with more predictability to enable better outcomes.

Want to Know What Some of the Industry Players are Talking About?

Quintiles India is located amidst a rapidly growing local pharmaceutical market - with five offices spread across the country, it helps clients take advantage of a well-established corporate infrastructure, government policies favouring R&D, growth in the health insurance sector, and tertiary care and teaching hospitals available for trials.

Quintiles India has solid relationships with leading medical centers and experienced English-speaking investigators. All studies are conducted to FDA and ICH GCP standards. Urban India’s literate population provides fast, efficient access to broad population groups with common and special disease profiles, allowing for rapid patient recruitment and faster study start-ups.

View their thoughts at our revamped website

www.systemsintegrationasia.com

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INSTALLATIONS SSystems Integration Asia June - July 2014

SINGAPORE

Christie projectors deliver realistic aviation experience at the Republic Polytechnic Immersive and unique experience made possible through the new Virtual Aerodrome Laboratory developed by ST Electronics Launched in October 2013, Republic Polytechnic’s Virtual Aerodrome Laboratory was set up to enhance students’ understanding of airport management, airport planning and design and air traffic management.

The Virtual Aerodrome Laboratory (VAL) offers hands-on opportunities for learning and training in a realistic environment. ST Electronics (Training & Simulation Systems) was identified by Republic Polytechnic for their training

and simulation expertise to develop the first-of-its-kind laboratory installed in a Singapore institute of higher learning.

Students enrolled in Republic Polytechnic’s Diploma in Aviation Management (DAVM) now have the opportunity to experience various operational scenarios and real-life simulations without ever having to leave campus. And while it may feel like they’re peering down from a modern

airport control tower – it’s a setting much closer in real life to a classroom.

This immersive and unique experience is made possible thanks to the new Virtual Aerodrome Laboratory that was developed by ST Electronics (Training & Simulation Systems) in October 2013.

The DAVM aims to equip students with a combination of specialist and management skills to prepare them for various roles in airport terminal operations or as an aircraft crew member.

“Subjects covered in the diploma curriculum are related to airport and airline management,” said Ramanathan Mohandas, Programme Chair, Diploma in Aviation Management. “Upon graduation, students can take up roles such as airport managers, airline managers or even technical roles in aviation such as air traffic control, piloting and more.”

In line with this, the Virtual Aerodrome Laboratory was set up to enhance students’ understanding of airport

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management, airport planning and design and air traffic management.

The Virtual Aerodrome Laboratory (VAL) offers hands-on opportunities for learning and training in a realistic environment. Put another way, Republic Polytechnic wanted to create an environment where students could experience the different aspects of aviation management first hand.

Based on this need, ST Electronics (Training & Simulation Systems) was identified by Republic Polytechnic for their training and simulation expertise to develop the first-of-its-kind laboratory installed in a Singapore institute of higher learning. The challenge for ST Electronics (Training & Simulation Systems) was to develop the laboratory according to the high standards and specifications needed to provide students with a holistic and immersive learning experience. ST Electronics (Training & Simulation Systems) was also mindful that in order to provide an added dimension of realism to the training, there would have to be a keen attention to detail.

Attention to details

Given the requirements for digital display technologies that would create an immersive environment for the students in the DAVM course, ST Electronics (Training & Simulation Systems) selected Christie for its quality projection and visual solutions.

Christie DS+6K-M projector

With Christie’s M Series Projectors, ST Electronics (Training & Simulation Systems) developed a system that would realize the rich, dynamic and detailed imaging necessary for the training and simulation in the Virtual Aerodrome Laboratory.

“Scenarios can be created to facilitate interactions between various types of airport vehicles including planes, fire engine and ground vehicles,” added Mohandas. “Students can role-play as ground controllers, air traffic controllers and ground entity controllers to gain practical skills. It also helps provide students an immersive learning experience ranging from flight operations, to aviation safety and security and air traffic management,” added Mohandas.

“We knew this was an undertaking that called for a simulation system with a high degree of realism for the trainees. It also required a projector solution capable of delivering versatility without sacrificing quality,” said Michael Aaran, Manager of the Learning Systems Division at ST Electronics (Training & Simulation Systems). “The high-performance and feature-rich standards provided by the Christie projectors were the right solution for the Virtual Aerodrome Laboratory. The results of our collaboration are a state-of-the art laboratory for students of the Aviation Management course to have a holistic learning experience.”

In adopting a solution-orientated approach, multiple discussions were held between Christie and ST Electronics (Training & Simulation Systems) to understand the specific needs and requirements of Republic Polytechnic.

Christie also took the extra effort to have a site visit prior to the development of the Virtual Aerodrome Laboratory.

This provided them with a better understanding of the site constraints so that the visual system design parameters were thoroughly evaluated, designed and custom-built for the best fit.

“Embedded warping, blending and colour matching, along with built-in portrait capabilities, provided even more installation flexibility,” added Aaran. “We are pleased with how the Christie projectors have performed as an important component of the finished product.”

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The Virtual Aerodrome Laboratory more closely resembles the scene of a busy metropolitan airport control tower than a classroom. It boasts a screen with a 120-degree field of vision, utilizing three of Christie’s projectors to display the simulated view from above.

Indeed, the finished product is a sight to behold. The Virtual Aerodrome Laboratory more closely resembles the scene of a busy metropolitan airport control tower than a classroom. It boasts a screen with a 120-degree field of vision, utilizing three of Christie’s projectors to display the simulated view from above.

Noted as a flexible, efficient 3-chip DLP digital projector, the Christie DS+6K-M is easily tailored to meet the needs of the end user. The projector comes in a sleek, compact chassis and is equipped with a full set of options, including 2D and 3D capability.

It also contains a dual lamp system, offering high efficiency and low cost of ownership. In the case of the Virtual Aerodrome Laboratory, this equates into a display that delivers full brightness while using less power.

The Christie M series projectors additionally come with features such as Christie Twist and Comprehensive Colour Adjustment (CCATM) to ensure unparalleled edge blending capability and well matched colour uniformity across the entire display. This is a critical benefit for larger or more complex simulation projection projects like the one undertaken by Republic Polytechnic.

Ultimately, the view delivered to students training at the Virtual Aerodrome Laboratory is breathtakingly realistic, vivid – and to many, familiar. That’s because the facility simulates the view from the control tower of a commercial airport.

“It’s an honour to team up with our partner, ST Electronics (Training & Simulation Systems), on such an important project – and one that’s benefitting Singapore’s next generation

of aviation professionals,” commented Barry Lewine, Director of Sales, VE Solutions, Christie Asia Pacific. “We are pleased to contribute to the development of Republic Polytechnic’s Aviation Management students and help arm them with the necessary tools and expertise to continue their career path.”

With Republic Polytechnic’s Virtual Aerodrome Laboratory cleared for takeoff courtesy of ST Electronics (Training & Simulation Systems) and Christie, the sky’s the limit – literally.

Images courtesy of Republic Polytechnic www.christiedigital.com

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INSTALLATIONS SSystems Integration Asia June - July 2014

CHINA

World’s Largest State-Owned Utility Chooses Prysm Video Wall for New Monitoring and Control Facility At 84m² with a two-degree curve, the wall offers an immersive viewing experience State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) recently completed construction on a new state-of-the-art facility addition, at their Jiangsu Electric Power Company in Nanjing, China, which is responsible for monitoring the electrical grid system and conducting customer service for the entire Jiangsu province.

Prysm’s Laser Phosphor Display (LPD) technology was quickly chosen by SGCC’s local integrator, Jiangsu Electric Information Technology Company, which teamed up with Prysm China partner Daheng, as the ideal solution for the following reasons: • New and groundbreaking technology.

SGCC is a state-owned electric utilities company headquartered in Beijing, China. Their core business is to build and operate intricate power grids that supply much of China with secure and reliable electricity. In 2013, they were ranked by Forbes as the seventh largest corporation in the world.

When designing the new facility in Jiangsu, SGCC was seeking to create one of most advanced network operations centers (NOC) in the world, which meant implementing only the most nnovative solutions available. As is the case with any NOC facility, a video wall solution was a must, and it had to meet the organization’s extremely strict requirements.

• True 178° viewing angles without degradation – providing easy sight lines for those monitoring data throughout the control room space.

(L-R) Sidney Rittenberg, Jr, VP/GM of Greater China, Prysm Inc, Zhang Shuiling, Deputy GM, Jiangsu Electric Information Technology Company, Amit Jain, President, CEO and Founder, Prysm Inc and Lu Chenliang Deputy Director of the Intelligent Display Department at Jiangsu Electric Information Technology Company,

• Sustainably smart – with up to 75% less power consumption than competing technologies, notably traditionally used DLP cubes.

• No bezels and the smallest seam gaps in the industry (.5mm) – which means no data is lost when viewing information across seams, making the entire videowall a fluid canvas.

• Excellent image quality and brightness.

The video wall consists of 432 (48 × 9) of Prysm’s award-winning LPD video tiles, each offering a resolution of 427 × 320 pixels, giving the SGCC installation a full resolution of 20,496 × 2,880 pixels. At 84m² with a two-degree curve, the wall offers an impressive digital canvas for the display of information and an immersive viewing experience from anywhere in the room.

“The Prysm LPD display contains no bezels, and delivers astounding image quality and viewing angles.

INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

These attributes combined with the tremendous scalability of LPD technology provide an ideal display solution for the command and control environment, and easily made it the best solution for our client,” comments Yao Hong, Director of Sales, Daheng.

Zhang Shuiling, Deputy General Manager of Jiangsu Electric Information Technology Company, adds, “In my opinion Apple phones and tablets are the best when it comes to technology and design and I consider the Prysm solution in the same way as Apple. It is undeniably a technologically advanced system.”

Sidney Rittenberg, Jr, Vice President / General Manager of Greater China, Prysm Inc., highlights that Prysm won over all the traditional technologies and brands for this project, as Prysm offers the most advanced and environmentally friendly technology today. “Especially at a time when almost every customer we speak to is tired of the limitations and service frequencies of DLP, foremost is its lack of uniformity over time, large seams, and the solution is power hungry.

Large individual tile display size is now a weakness in mega size videowalls when more and more customers are seeking fresh designs with curves,” adds Sidney. www.prysm.com

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Jupiter's Fusion Catalyst plays its part in the Jiangsu NOC Offering fast and powerful display wall processing at the Jiangsu NOC is Jupiter's FC8100, which is part of the Fusion Catalyst FC8000 series. With bandwidth that reaches 320 Gbps, the Fusion Catalyst delivers more high resolution windows at full frame rates than any competitor.

The FC8100 features 96 outputs featuring 2560x1600 pixels resolution at 32 bits, per output, driving the 432 Prysm LPDs. The processor also has 32 inputs with 2560x1600 @60Hz resolution.

16 of the inputs are connected to the workstation running the Electric industry dispatching system with the remaining 16 inputs connected to another group of workstations to playback pixel to pixel interactive video system.

The Fusion Catalyst FC8100 is the only controller that can support DualLink 2560x1600 input and output, thus providing perfect input and output sync.

Bill Li, Senior Marketing Supervisor, Jupiter Systems China (Shenzhen) Ltd, adds, “For the Jiangsu project, we also worked on a special software for the system.

We worked in tandem with SGCC on their requirements. This was necessary as the power industry has very specific needs for monitoring. This is the first time such a software was created and we would not be surprised if the software becomes a standard for the power industry as it relates very much to their needs.” www.jupiter.com.cn

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INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

HONG KONG

AVIT Pushes the Limits at the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine The Innovative Learning Centre simulates a real-life hospital environment to help train medical staff I couldn’t afford to waste any single minute.”

"Before the tender was awarded, we had got the delivery schedules well planned with vendors and suppliers. We also worked out the manpower arrangements prior to tender award. Once the tender was awarded, we were able to start the project at full speed," Kelvin continued.

The Innovative Learning Centre's project involves HD video and audio distribution, video streaming, digital signage, and central and lighting control.

In two unique products -- the Seamless L-shape rear projection system and the B-Line medical recording system -- AVIT had spent extra efforts to make sure the products are up to the client's satisfaction.

Reception Area

The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (HKAM) provides specialist training and continuing medical education for doctors in practice. The HKAM Jockey Club Building is a 10-storey building containing a multi-purpose grand hall, an auditorium, a lecture theatre, function rooms, and meeting rooms.

HKAM continues to upgrade equipment and systems to provide up-to-date professional medical training facilities.

Systems Integrator, AVIT, based in Hong Kong, was privileged to be awarded the job for such a significant project. "The HKAM project was one of the most challenging projects that I have ever worked on!” said Kelvin Lau, Director of AVIT. "There were only 45 days from the tender award date to the completion date. Every minute counts. I felt I was Liam Nesson in the movie 'Taken' as

The seamless L-shape rear projection system is not a commonly seen offthe-shelf product. Two screen sizes of 6mx2.1m and 3.7mx2.1m was requried.

"I had to discuss with the factory about our needs because there were no readymade products on the market that met our requirements,” Kelvin explained.

"We took the initiative to work out a

In the beginning of 2013, the Innovative Learning Centre project on the 7th floor of the HKAM Jockey Club Building was initiated. The Centre, now completed, simulates a real-life hospital environment with different specialist departments and divisions. Emergency drills are held to familiarize medical staff with the work flow and division of work in case a disaster happens. In addition, the Innovative Learning Centre also serves as a training centre where senior medical professionals monitor the work of the front-line medical staff at the Control Centre, and carry out debriefing for improvement of daily operations.

The Press Simulation Room featuring the seamless L-shape rear projection system

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on-site during installation to make sure everything was smooth. "This is my first B-Line installation and first experience with patient simulators. We spent quite some effort to work out the system mode for different brands of patient simulators to make sure the B-Line system captured the data. Even though it's not easy at all, we finally got the issue solved," said Li.

Control Room

solution and confirmed the feasibility of our ideas with the factory. Then we sent our proposal to the client for approval. All these happened in less than one week," said CN Li, Director of Engineering at AVIT. The L-shaped screen was installed in the Press room, within the Innovative Learning Centre. The Press Room is meant to simulate the environment that the medical professional has to face should he or she need to meet or present to the public or media for any special incidents. The L-shape was meant to simulate a real-life situation where the speaker is surrounded by the audience – this thus offers the perception of not just a single view.

"The on-site hand-crafted customization was the most exciting part of the project.

This kind of customization was the very first in Hong Kong, and what we were doing was like skating on thin ice. A

Operation Theatre

mistake of any type could damage the screen and result in delays. Thanks to the client’s trust in us and the concerted efforts of the engineering team, we were able to overcome the challenges. We are proud of the pioneering installation," Li continued.

3 units of Panasonic 6000 lumens PTDW640 projectors with edge blending features complemented with ET-DLE030 short lens were used for the rear projection of the L-shaped screen.

Another unique product that was implemented is the B-Line medical recording system. B-Line is a professional medical system which provides data capture, visualization, synchronization and analysis functionalities for simulators.

Comparing to similar products, B-Line is the only one that can capture and record for simulators of all brands. It is the first ever B-Line installation in Hong Kong and B-Line's engineers needed to work

Ward

"We only had 45 days to complete the installation and we could only start our job when the builder's work was done.

So the actual working days we had got was much less than 45 days. We were always competing with time. Another problem was cabling. The trunk was planned at an early stage of project design when we were not aware of the huge number of actual cables to be used, so cabling difficulties came up during AV installations. But by using Crestron's Digital Media's matrix system, the number of cables was minimized tremendously. Once again, we overcame a major obstacle in just 45 days," Li said smilingly.

“With the support, collaboration and coordination efforts provided by HKAM's engineering team and vendor partners, AVIT was able to meet the project deadline as well as the client's expectations. This project has given us a valuable opportunity to challenge and push the limits. We certainly kept to our mantra of "Your Goal is Our Goal;” AVIT always puts clients’ needs as a top priority and tries every possible way to solve problems for them and guarantee their satisfaction,” said a very pleased Kelvin Lau. www.avit.hk

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MALAYSIA

Sterboul Revolutionizes Luxurious Living Crestron Home Automation raises the bar in home convenience

Luxury Home development is reaching a new crescendo in Malaysia. With a renewed focus on creating residences that combine exclusivity, innovation and style, new developments across the nation are attracting foreign interest.

Leading the way and setting new benchmarks for luxurious living is real estate developer, Sterboul Sdn Bhd (Sterboul).

Sterboul wants to amaze their clients with homes that can accommodate a variety of needs and wants. They position themselves as a unique real estate developer, looking to meet varied interests in living by combining distinctive design and detailing, innovation and cutting-edge technology.

These qualities will help revolutionize luxury home development in Malaysia.

the reason why the company decided to venture out alone with their flagship project, Carré d’Art

Defining New Era of Luxury Homes

Nestled away in the relaxed yet prestigious Country Heights Damansara neighbourhood, Carré d’Art is Sterboul's luxury home development masterpiece.

The iconic building boasts 20,000 sq.ft. of living space that combines style with modern convenience, along with a touch of old-world elegance.

At the heart of their vision lies the company's commitment to quality. They believe that this characteristic will help define their long-term success and build strong relationships with clients. It's The living and dining area

The expansive interior houses 5+2 bedrooms, including a 2,100 sq. ft. master bedroom suite, along with 8 bathrooms, 2 dining and living areas, a 650 sq. ft. cinema, a wellequipped gymnasium, a billiard room and a signature 2,500 sq. ft. rooftop deck. Residents can enjoy the 67 foot infinity pool, integrated bar, elevator convenience, ecological-friendly air conditioning, also valley views that stretch across the horizon. A spacious kitchen with the latest appliances,

INSTALLATIONS Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Crestron's automatic systems

allows uncluttered freedom to entertain and dine, while soaking in the green environment.

To add the final finishing touch and lend an air of luxurious convenience, Sterboul needed a home automation solution that met their high expectations and demands. And they found it with Crestron.

Automation Minus Complexity

Crestron Home Automation tied every amenity to a simple and intuitive interface. Residents simply need to use their smartphones or tablets to create the ideal environment. Dimming lights, turning on TV, controlling volume and adjusting shades can now be done with just a swipe or a touch. No more unsightly wires or lots of switches.

One of the key features of the system is the ability to set different “Scenes” easily. With one touch of the “Scene” button you can set everything you want in any room for any activity, from Wake to Goodnight and anything in-between, like Watch, Listen or Away. An unlimited

Rooftop entertainment area

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Home cinema

number of “Scenes” can be created and customized according to personal preferences which allow residents to develop their own moods. Essentially, this unique function allows residents to worry less about tweaking or adjusting different amenities.

Designing Convenience

Such high level of convenience lies in Crestron’s four decades of experience and its effort in setting the standard of automation and control systems.

Crestron’s solutions are designed around four main principles: Reliability, simplicity, personalization and premium support. All four mirrored Sterboul’s expectations, making the system a clear favourite in the eyes of their customers.

“Crestron provided us with an all-around system that boasts tremendous features and meets all our benchmarks when it comes to home automation, with the main goal to elevate Carré d’Art to being one of the most futuristic homes in the region. By using Crestron’s system, we are able to do so and it amplifies the feature that Carré d’Art’s most ardent

admirers found to be impressive,” said Daniel Joshua, Head of Public Relations of Sterboul.

Success Through Simplicity

Sterboul is glad they chose Crestron Home Automation Integrated System.

Their commitment to develop an ideal environment for Sterboul’s residents has helped to garner immediate success and attention.

By using Crestron’s Home Automation System, Carré d’Art stands tall among the most futuristic homes in Asia. It has become one of the villa’s main attractions and also won plenty of rave reviews.

Now Sterboul is looking further and wider for building its success, and it is confident of achieving its goals with Crestron. “Crestron’s Home Automation system has also allowed us to build a solid partnership with Crestron as we will keep utilizing this system in our future projects,” added Mr. Joshua. www.crestronasia.com

Rooftop deck and sunken TV area

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Vision: To help our customers create the world's best shared experiences SIAsia: In terms of the BIG picture how does your new role of Christie CEO differ from that of having been the President and COO of Christie Digital Systems USA? Jack: I have a vision of how we will grow the Christie group in what is a very exciting time for the many industries that our Christie companies serve – e.g., cinema, pro AV, visualization and simulation, medical, etc. – and the new role will enable me to affect changes more quickly and efficiently, to the benefit of our customers.

In February this year, Jack Kline was appointed as Chairman, President and CEO of all of Christie's operating companies worldwide. Jack was previously the President and COO of Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc. Most recently Jack was also conferred the Ken Mason Inter-Society Award for his contributions to the motion picture industry. The ‘Ken Mason Inter-Society Award’ is an annual award that honours an individual who has made outstanding long-term contributions leading to the overall improvement of the motion picture experience. SI Asia is pleased to bring you our exclusive interview with Jack Kline on his vision for Christie.

SIAsia: You have been with the company for 35 years, which is indeed a very long time of dedicated work and passion. This would also mean you have seen the company evolve over the years. What were some of the key moments that you feel has helped shape the company to what it is today?

Jack: First, let me tell you what hasn’t changed. When I was hired 35 years ago, I was told that our goal was to build quality products and to be a company of integrity. For Christie, that philosophy continues to this day and has worked, with the proof being our steady growth, our having the largest market share in cinema projection, having longstanding, ‘repeat’ customers and our overall leadership position in developing innovative, new technologies.

But there were many key moments in that journey. Acquiring Electrohome (Canada) gave us a first-class engineering and manufacturing team, and subsequently becoming the first licensee of Texas Instrument’s DLP Cinema® technology laid the cornerstone for Christie’s growth and continuing reinvention, which continues to this day.

That said, we look to the future, with the advent of laser projectors and all manner of hardware, software and services being orchestrated by Christie to enable our customers to deliver the very best in ‘shared experiences’ to their customers.

Delivering the horsepower to enable these experiences is important, and in that regard, winning a PIPA Award for the Christie D4K2560 DLP® 4K projector with TruLife™ electronics at Prolight + Sound 2014 recently (in Frankfurt, Germany) demonstrates that Christie remains a technology leader. Theme parks, simulation and visualization solutions, and other applications are enabled by our TruLife-based projectors.

SIAsia: Christie's relationship with the cinema industry goes a long way back. The industry is going through several transitions from analogue to digital and 3D. How do you see the industry evolving over the coming years in terms of technology and Christie's continued involvement?

Jack: Christie’s involvement goes back 85 years, to the company’s conception, and our commitment to delivering a complete cinema experience remains stronger than ever. Having led the film-to-digital conversion charge for the past 6 years, Christie has embarked on improving the audio side of the audiovisual experience that cinemas should deliver, by introducing the Christie® Vive Audio™ solution, which includes ceiling surrounds, wall surrounds, screen channel speakers, subwoofers, and Class D amplifiers. We’ve developed and introduced these products to leverage the latest in ribbon driver technology and articulated line array designs, enabling Christie customers to put leading-edge, immersive audio into any theater and/or auditorium size, and speakers. They work with Dolby® Atmos™, Auro 11.1 by Barco and other leading immersive formats.

VOICE BOX Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014 But we’ve prospered by recognizing that our customers need more than first-class audio and visual equipment.

They need software, services and support as well. So Christie Professional Services offer a wide range of options for managing cinema equipment including projection/audio systems and lobby digital signage. Exhibitors partner with Christie at every stage –from system design to staging and testing, onsite maintenance, remote monitoring and transparent real-time reporting. And we were the first to pioneer state-of-the-art Network Operations Centers (NOC), which monitor and service more than 112,000 remote devices for studio and exhibition customers in several locations globally including Australia, China, Mexico and Russia, including more than 2,800 locations in North America. The NOC’s combination of around-the-clock remote monitoring and services of both Christie and competitors’ products help to safeguard customer investments and ensure the successful deliver of their shared experiences to their customers.

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SIAsia: Christie had several years ago bought out a laser company. That foresight we believe has now brought about Christie's introduction of laser based projectors.

Could you comment on this? Also, will the laser technology filter down to the rest of the projector models?

What would distinguish Christie's laser technology with that of its competitors?

light levels, image uniformity, viewing comfort, and a sense of immersion can be vastly improved in cinema, theme parks, simulation, and other common 3D applications.

Jack: To be clear, in consultation with Christie, our parent company Ushio bought a first-class laser firm in Necsel a few years back, and this is one of the building blocks we’ve used to deliver two sets of laser projectors. First, our 3-Primary (3P) single-head laser projectors will fulfill important needs in conventional 2D applications, such as in projection mapping and rental staging, and secondly, our 6-Primary (6P) dual-head projectors will show how 3D

Why do we have the best approach to laser projection? Some competitors are selling a single-head 6P system, which is less than half as “light efficient” as our dual-head 6P system. Without getting into the details – we have a very good White Paper on the topic by the way – with a single-head 6P laser system you will need at least twice as many lasers to achieve the same 3D light output as a dual-head 6P laser system. With the current cost of lasers far outweighing

As well, Christie laser projectors will provide industry-leading brightness (up to 72,000 Lumens per projector head), wider colour gamut capabilities, higher contrast, and dramatically reduced maintenance requirements, resulting in a better experience for all.

"First, let me tell you what hasn’t changed. When I was hired 35 years ago, I was told that our goal was to build quality products and to be a company of integrity.

For Christie, that philosophy continues to this day."

Jack Kline receiving the Ken Mason Inter-Society Award for his contributions to the motion picture industry.

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the cost of projection heads, this means that a single-head system will cost almost twice as much as a dual-head system to achieve the same 3D brightness. That’s not something we want to impose on our customers.

Plus, our approach sees the laser light modules residing outside of the projector, fed to those electronics via fiber cable. The modules sit in a rack arrangement, which provides a number of advantages including scalability, modularity, redundancy, and it’s completely future proof. For instance, if after several years of operation, one decides that more light output is desired, then additional or new laser modules can simply be added to the system.

Moreover, this architecture allows for more versatile installation options, allowing the light source (i.e., where the heat and noise resides) to be physically located away from the projector.

By the way, the laser projector research and development program has been our largest ever; ensuring superior 6P and 3P laser projection solutions for all of our global customers.

SIAsia: With the Brio, Christie has stepped into the collaboration segment, which is seeing intense competition from a number of players.

Why and how did this phenomenon come about and where do you see any distinctive advantages and opportunities for Christie in this segment?

Jack: We’ve all been in meetings that were slowed down or fell apart because of the many hassles that come up when multiple people with their own laptops and software try to get presentations successfully running on meeting room screens. It impedes productivity, so we’ve come up with Christie® Brio™ as a solution.

You see, when we thought about what was needed in a meeting presentation and collaboration solution, there were three things that were very clear. One, it had to be easily accessible, with no

"The laser projector research and development program has been our largest ever; ensuring superior 6P and 3P laser projection solutions for all of our global customers." special training or driver software that users had to install. Two, it had to tear down the existing communication barriers so that sharing information became effortless. And three, it had to allow users to share multiple types of content. So the ultimate goal in developing Brio was to ensure that all participants could share whatever they needed to—to ultimately be able to share more.

Although other manufacturers have made tentative moves to provide a meeting presentation and collaboration system that takes the hassles out of single and multi-site workplace meetings, our Christie Brio solution is the first to tie it all together. We make it easy for many people to run presentations at meetings, even across several corporate sites, on a network and since Brio is all networkdriven, it does not require users to install any new software or use a USB device to make it all work. That’s getting a very positive response from Fortune500 companies and demonstrates how Christie is moving beyond visual experiences that formed our bedrock to embrace a solutions-oriented company that ties together the best in visual, audio and collaborative technologies to deliver the best shared experiences.

SIAsia: 4K was the focus of attention at CES and even at ISE. Can you tell us your thoughts about 4K in the Audio Visual field – challenges, opportunities, adoption.

Jack: Christie continues to set the standard in 4K with its TrueLife™ platform and this is being recognized with the numerous opportunities for 4K technology in houses of worship, universities, corporate facilities, amusement parks and 3D visualization.

When 4K visual display systems were

first introduced, they were extremely expensive and had little content available to justify their purchaser. In the last year, however, the situation has been changing rapidly and we have seen the costs come down. Today, most source material is high definition, or better, allowing for an especially sharp image when viewed in 4K. Also, more cameras and servers are being introduced into the market offering 4K resolution capability enabling more 4K content. By purchasing the higher resolution Christie visual display now, a technical director can be confident they have invested in a future that will see 4K source material becoming ubiquitous.

SIAsia: Finally what is your vision for Christie in the coming years?

Jack: In today’s highly competitive environment, both micro and macroeconomic trends are driving customer demand for the “entire” solution. I see Christie leveraging its considerable ‘core strengths’ to drive customer value by delivering solutions in three areas. First, you’ll see more complete solutions that include hardware, software and services.

Secondly, we’ll continue to enhance our audio offerings and our many display technologies (such as pure lasers and alternative light-source technologies), and thirdly, we’ll invest more in building IT infrastructure tools such as Christie Brio, Christie Phoenix and Christie/Vista Spyder. In providing these solutions, with new technology offerings and new partnerships, we will be able to service a larger customer base.

It all comes down to helping our customers create the world’s best shared experiences and that’s my vision for Christie, in a nutshell. www.christiedigital.com

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Inspiring the Next: Hitachi SIAsia: Tell us about Hitachi Home Electronics Asia- its genesis, and journey through the decades of successes and challenges...

Takeshi Haruki, General Manager- Hitachi Home Electronics Asia (S) Pte. Ltd.

Japanese electronics giant Hitachi which has long been known to be a major consumer brand, is now seeking an aggressive route into professional AV domain on a Pan-Asia level. The company has initiated several programmes that include launch of focussed product ranges for professional AV domain, and strategic marketing initiatives addressing key market areas.

SIAsia caught up with Takeshi Haruki, General Manager at the Singapore-headquartered Hitachi Home Electronics Asia (S) Pte. Ltd. to know what are the Japanese major’s plans for the segment and continent.

Excerpts:

Takeshi: Hitachi Home Electronics Asia (S), a subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd.(HHES)Consumer Division was established in 1995 in Singapore; it markets consumer electronics and multimedia products in Asia Pacific West and South Asia, and some regions in Africa. It also acts as the regional service and spare parts centre for its supporting networks.

HHES, in a way, is cultivating the market covered under its region and has been seeing encouraging successes through successive years scaling good numbers.

SIAsia: What exactly is Hitachi Group's focus on the AV industry? How does it define its role and stake in the current Asian AV industry?

Takeshi: The Asian AV industry comprises 76 per cent ‘products’ and 24 per cent ‘services.’ The products’ share has also been growing at a higher rate- meaning there are more products coming to the market place. As it is, the AV market as a whole is expected to grow at 14 per cent CGAR (for the next few years). Products, therefore, show better growth in terms of the AV market.

Hitachi is thus positioning itself in that segment with a strong focus on highend projectors, which are preferred for varied installation environments. Today, AV integrators need products that are rich in connectivity, easy to operate, and capable of high performance and reliability. Hitachi focuses on product development considering all these specifications, and brings to market products with competitive price that is backed up by assured after-sales support.

SIAsia: What particular products and / or solutions does Hitachi bring to AV marketplace?

Takeshi: Hitachi is one of the few companies that has its own brand of projectors as well as interactive whiteboards. The AV product range includes LCD and DLP projectors, and Starboards (interactive whiteboards).

For professional AV marketplace, Hitachi offers a vast line-up of Installation Series Projectors ranging from 4000 Lumens, to 10000 Lumens. With a wide range of professional category projectors coming to place, the high-end AV users can benefit from Hitachi’s commitment to drive down total cost of ownership through innovative design, quality engineering and reliability.

Hitachi Starboard is a wonderful stateof-art technology product, offering the convenience of normal white board with an advantage of interactivity on the projected image. The two current models, the FX-79E1 and FX-89WE1 series interactive whiteboards, bring finger-driven interactivity to conference rooms. They combine simplicity of design and smartness of latest interactive technology. Their finger-driven features and multi-touch gesture capabilities make StarBoard FX-79E1/89WE1 intuitive for anyone to use. The large surface of these boards provides an additional working space and contributes to a comfortable group work.

SIAsia: What vertical markets does Hitachi address through its AV solutions?

Takeshi: Hitachi focuses on all key market segments like government, corporate, education, transport and healthcare. We want to focus on segments where we feel that our feature-rich systems, their ease of use and their low cost of ownership will be appreciated by customers.

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"Hitachi Starboard is a wonderful state-of-art technology product, offering the convenience of normal white board with an advantage of interactivity on the projected image."

SIAsia: What particular vertical market do you find (pan-Asia) as a) most promising and b) most challenging?

Takeshi: India and China has the most potential in terms of future growth. We would rate India as most challenging.

SIAsia: What particular measures have you initiated to turn challenges into opportunities?

Takeshi: Hitachi has always converted challenges into opportunities. We have taken lead in the education segment with new product line-up of Ultimate Short Throw projectors, and created a distinguished market for UST as well as interactive UST projectors. In high-end category, Hitachi is creating better value to customers using rich connectivity like HDbaseT input, SDI inputs.

SIAsia: Would you please elaborate on what exactly does Hitachi's Corporate Statement - "Inspire the Next" – mean?

Takeshi: ‘Inspire the Next’ means ‘to breathe new life into the coming age." Numerous words come to mind that could follow ‘the next,’ including ‘age,’ ‘’society,’ ‘system,’ or ‘solution,’ communicating Hitachi's intention to innovate, underpinned by the three pillars of our Brand Platform which encompasses our Vision of creating richer lives and better society through our products, systems and services; our Mission to identify the real needs of society and to develop and apply new technology without being bound by traditional thinking, and contributing to harmonious coexistence of environmental preservation and economic growth; and finally our Value where we will continue to foster and build upon the trust the company has

attained with its customers and society as a whole.

SIAsia: How would you pursue the same? what specific initiatives are on ground, or in the pipeline?

Takeshi: Hitachi promises a future, full of innovation. We aim to breathe a new life into the coming era as symbolized by the corporate statement. Hitachi has been contributing to society across all business verticals through technology innovations.

In keeping with the vision, HHES too has been constantly evolving the Digital Learning and Presentation market, providing customers with full range of projectors and interactive whiteboards.

More, Hitachi is implementing ‘aggressive brand strategies’ aimed at penetrating regions where the brand is yet to be established. This way, it will put in place a superior business environment for rolling out the business in new global markets, and support the cause of Hitachi Group in global growth.

SIAsia: Professional AV market is already dominated by bigger, long-established global giants- how does Hitachi intend to address this competition?

Takeshi: Hiitachi is entering the AV market just at the right time, when the customer is looking for a quality product with great features and flexibility for installation in any environment. Agility is needed for late entrants. Hitachi ensures success by swiftly adapting to market demands and constantly adopting distinctive positioning and marketing strategies. Pioneers in most industries, when they reach an incumbency status, are powerful. Sometimes, however, they get complacent or are not in a position to cater to the growing or shifting demands of the marketplace. Hitachi’s focus is, thus, on improving a product or

service, with emphasis on niche market; target new geographic markets for existing products; develop new channels of distribution to access new markets or better penetrate existing ones.

SIAsia: Which of the Asian geographies make strong markets for Hitachi?

Takeshi: The Asian continent is showing maximum growth in the projector market globally, and this growth is primarily driven by China and India.

China constitutes one-third of total world market share for Hitachi, while India is the second largest market amongst the Asian economies, followed by Indonesia. We are present in all the Asian geographies and growing steadily.

SIAsia: How do you intend to increase the presence in those markets?

Takeshi: To increase presence in any market, the imperatives are quality product line-up, robust distribution network, and reliable service network.

These have been Hitachi’s strengths as well, and will continue to further drive our business across Asian markets.

SIAsia: Would you please tell us one single-largest or the most impacting technology/ solution that made a big difference to the ProAV market?

Takeshi: Hitachi utilizes cutting-edge technology to provide projectors with user-friendly features which help users make presentations effortlessly. One such impactful, technological innovation of ours is the UST projector that was designed with an Optical Technology advantage of Ultimate Short Throw.

These projectors greatly reduce glare from the light source, making it easier for the presenter to see the audience.

The audience also gets a clearer view

VOICE BOX Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

Hitachi UST projector

because the presenter's hands and body shadows are minimized. The result is a better classroom or meeting room experience for both presenters and audience. Also, these projectors offer bright images and are aesthetically mounted.

The Hitachi UST projectors have won many prestigious accolades. Being the pioneer of this technology, Hitachi dominates the market. We have

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further strengthened our position in UST category by introducing a new model in April 2014, some groundbreaking features.

that are technologically advanced products that will make life easier for the coming generations. In order to actualise this objective, we are currently working on new technologies (we cannot disclose them right now though!).

SIAsia: Where does Hitachi Asia intend to position itself in the immediate future?

As a part of Group Hitachi, we aim to build unique brand value through consistent corporate activities; to secure competitive superiority in the market and a high profit structure; and to increase corporate value.

Takeshi: We intend to be one of the top five industry players in the world.

SIAsia: Being a technologydriven company, what's the long-term objective in terms of technology innovation, and market positioning?

Takeshi: Our objective is to continue developing new generation products

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Inspire the Next, which was created as Hitachi's Corporate Statement, is recognized throughout the world, along with the message that communicates the promise of Hitachi Brand: "Breathing new life into society and lifestyles in the next era, by providing new products, systems, and services that accurately anticipate the needs of that era." www.hitachi.com

Y D M N A A RKEN S I O ?

RAMBLING ABOUT???

E H S I WDH T W HA AN

Every fortnight, Andy brings his brand of humour, wit, at times cynicism about technology, trends and anything else that he feels needs attention. We guarantee you an enjoyable read..

A graduate of Iowa State University, Andy received his Bachelor's Degree with majors in Radio & Television and Journalism. Widely published in the industry and trade press , Andy has written more than 300 articles on management, marketing, communications and a wide range of industry market trends.

Check out his column at our revamped website: www.systemsintegrationasia.com

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AQAV: Ensuring Quality in AV Installations Many in the industry would probably have heard about the non-profit association AQAV, (Association for Quality in Audio Visual Technology), initiated in the USA by a group of AV end-users and OEMs to ensure that the art of delivering Integrated audio visual Systems is perfected. This organization is a membership organization open to ALL parties interested in improving the outcome of the integrated audio visual systems.

So what is AQAV's objective?

To improve the operational art of designing and installing audio visual integrated systems. Engineered audio visual systems continue to become more complex and difficult to integrate. By focusing on the quality management of these systems, and of those who design and install them, it can benefit

the AV industry and all its stakeholders: including clients and users of AV technology, AV designers and installers, equipment manufacturers, related construction and architectural firms, and the environment.

quality assurance system for designing and delivering the integrated audio visual systems. The AQAV Academy provides several training programs and certifications on the proper application of this standard.

How does AQAV hope to achieve their objective?

Is the AV9000 AV Quality Standard universally acknowledged?

• By defining standards for quality management systems (AV9000) • By providing training on AV quality issues • By providing appraisal audits of AV systems • By providing appraisal audits of AV companies AQAV has developed and published its standard AV9000 that define, establish, and maintain an effective

AV 9000 includes the management principles and quality management systems as described in ISO 9001:2008 the auditable international standard for Quality Management Systems adopted internationally by 178 countries in the world.

The AV9000 is a de facto standard which was developed by a team of individuals as part of AV 9000 Project Forum which

AQAV's Executive Director Mario Maltese, CTS-D, CTS-I, CQT comments about AQAV and AV9000 AQAV is an initiative that came about from end-users, as are focused on the Buyer, similar to the ISO9000 Standard.

Manufacturers have for a long time recognised the importance of Quality Assurance which is how ISO9000 came about. InfoComm International has also done a lot of hard work on specifying standards for the AV industry. However what was missing was the quality of the installation – how do we measure that and does it work as it was meant to. Now with AV9000 we are able to certify the quality of work done.

AV9000 addresses the internal processes of an organization – in short, the “human systems” that design and install AV systems. Put in simpler terms, • AV9000 allows everyone to work together as one team.

• AV9000 gives the customer exactly what he ordered, with the least possible effort, in the shortest amount of time.

• AV9000 makes everyone on the team feel better about what they do.

• AV9000 helps the team do it even better the next time.

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Kramer embraces AQAV

In November 2013, Kramer Electronics announced their newly minted educational partnership with the Association for Quality in Audio Visual Technology (AQAV); becoming the first educational partner in this program.

Since the establishment of the partnership, Kramer Electronics has held five successful AQAV trainings with many individuals completing the workshop and earning their AQAV certifications. The trainings, which have taken place at the Kramer Electronics US Headquarters in Clinton, New Jersey and at Newcomb & Boyd, a consulting company in Atlanta, Georgia, have all been met with great turnouts and enthusiasm. Those who have successfully earned their AQAV certifications continue to see their work pay off in their projects. Both end users and Pro AV integrators are able to attest to the benefits of AQAV. End user, Elaine Manfredonia, Vice President of JP Morgan Chase

consisted of highly qualified individuals from 18 organizations consisting of manufacturers, integrators, designers, programmers, and technology managers.

AV 9000:2013 establishes the industry specific metrics for audio visual technology such as other industries have already done like TS-16949 for the Automotive Industry, AS-9100 for the Aerospace Industry, TL-9000 for Telecommunication Industry.

AQAV acknowledges that InfoComm International which represents the entire Audio Visual Industry and is a recognised industry standards writing organization, and its best practices that are referred to in AV-9000.

What are the AQAV Certifications?

There are two certifications. CQT which stands for Certified Quality Technician – AV and CQD which stands for Certified Quality Designer - AV.

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explained, “Being AV9000 compliant is a major plus for providers that want to work for us. It eliminates untold costs and aggravation that the client won’t and the integrator shouldn’t accept. No question the business is trending this way.”

Pro AV integrators, such as Jeremy Elsesser of the Pro AV integrator Level 3 Audio Visual in Mesa, AZ, are also aware of the advantages of being AQAV certified. Jeremy stated, “Since Level 3 Audio Visual started down the path of AV9000 and began implementing the systems into our daily workflows, we have seen a large increase in team collaboration along with a significant reduction of time spent in the field.

Culturally, AV9000 has provided a mechanism to get everyone on the same page and pursuing the highest quality of work we can provide.”

“The addition of the AQAV course and certification program to our current

Certified Quality Technician (CQT) Course Outline: • General: Quality Principles and definitions • AV System Commissioning • Instrumentation • Monitoring and Measurement Checklists • Reports • Practicum • Examination and Registration CQT Prerequisites: InfoComm CTS or 4 years’ experience in AV design and/or installation.

Certified Quality Designer (CQD) Course Outline: • Quality Principles and definitions • Fundamentals of auditing AV; working within a QMS (Quality Management System) • Contract Review • Client performance checklist; AV metrics • AV Calculations

Malissa Dillman, Kramer’s Director of Training and Education

educational offerings is just one more step in Kramer’s focus of offering quality education to the AV industry,” said Malissa Dillman, Kramer’s Director of Training and Education.

“We are very excited to be one of the first manufacturers to partner with AQAV and to be the first partner who is able to deliver this unique training program. We believe that with Kramer’s outreach we will be able to deliver the AQAV program on a global scale in the near future.”

• • • •

Design Review/Engineering Review The Design Review Report Practicum Examination and Registration

CQD Prerequisites: InfoComm CTS-D or 4 years design of engineered audio visual systems.

In most developed countries there are several key stages in a project. One is Staging, where systems are fully wired and configured within the SI's facilities to ensure that it works accordingly and to resolve any bugs in the system before shipping . Another stage is Commissioning where the system is implemented and commissioned at the client's location. Those who are CQT certified help ensure that the systems go through a thorough checklist, are defectfree, and comply exactly as documented so as to guarantee Quality in the design and implementation of the solutions.

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VOICE BOX Systems Integration Asia June - July 2014

It is very interesting to note that the SI companies that have embraced the CQT and CQD certification are seeing more profitability and repeat customers.

What is the relationship between AQAV and InfoComm International?

Both Associations are run on a not-forprofit principle and are run independent of each other. InfoComm International as all of us in the industry are well aware of is a 75 year old organisation that has been spearheading many initiatives for the AV industry that includes exhibitions, trainings, certifications, standards and checklists. It is the primary membership organization of the AV Industry and serves that membership.

AQAV is the younger association whose main focus is the User of AV Systems.

Where InfoComm International is developing industry standards, AQAV creates “de facto” standards that do not strive for industry-wide acceptance (other examples of de facto standards are Portable Data Files (pdf) and QC9000 for the American Automotive industry). AQAV refers to applicable InfoComm Standards where applicable, as well as InfoComm publications, such as the Installation Manual.

In fact attending either of the CQT or CQD course earns attendees 24 InfoComm RU's. Furthermore to attend either of the AQAV certification training you will need to be either CTS or CTS-D certified or have 4 years experience in the AV field respectively.

Does AV9000 create more barriers for the AVSI industry?

Currently there are several large buyers of AV technology that insist on AV9000 compliance in their Request for Proposals. These buyers include several large multinational corporations, and universities.

It is very interesting to note that the SI companies that have embraced the CQT and CQD certification are seeing more profitability and repeat customers.

More fundamentally it ensures that systems work with zero defects: first time, every time. Cost savings are obvious advantages of improved Quality processes. With margins getting tighter, it is imperative that SIs are able to close the job without additional onsite costs.

It has been found that spending one hour of troubleshooting at Staging would be the equivalent of that same troubleshooting taking 3 hours at the Customer's location thus saving time and manpower costs. As there is a documentation process, any problems on site are also more easily resolved.

It is safe to say that AV9000 actually helps the bottom line of AVSI business, at times dramatically. Some SI’s report an increase of net profits of 400% after adopting AV9000..

New revenue stream for AVSI?

End-users can appoint a CQT/CQD certified person to audit the systems independently as a third-party commissioning agent. More large-scale roll-outs of installations (100-plus rooms, for example) are requiring it, as well as multi-million dollar complex installations for governments using public funding.

This could be a new revenue stream for companies. aww.aqav.org

Ratnesh Javeri of Innovative Systems & Solutions Pvt Ltd becomes Asia's first CQT, CQD certified individual “We (ISSPL) are India’s first ISO-9000, 14000 and 18000 AV/IT certified systems Integrators. With ISO-9000 being there for 10 years, we understand how AQAV’s AV-9000 goes beyond quality systems provisions of ISO-9000 and covers the AV/IT projects specific requirements. We are also India’s first and still only member of AQAV. I am sure others will catch-up soon.

I personally have both AQAV’s certifications CQD and CQT and combining with my CTS-D it offers a perfect combination for our Design Consultancy and Systems Integration customers - best quality at reasonable

price means great value for money. It has also opened up opportunities for us to work globally and we are already in the final stages of collaborative projects in the AV Quality Auditing space with companies from USA. In my opinion this is the first time we have a systematic approach to assuring Quality in AV which is auditable and I am sure that all the four pillars of the AV Industry that is Manufacturers, Design Consultants, Systems Integrators and Client/End Users will embrace AV-9000 Quality Management System to get benefits to improve their ROI.”

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